In this study, 'Béjaoui' Cucurbita maxima seeds variety were exposed to both microwave and roasting prior to oil cold press extraction. In addition, full-fat mayonnaise formula from untreated and treated pumpkin seed oils was prepared and assessed for their physical stabilities and bioactive properties in 28-day storage at 25 ± 1 °C. A mayonnaise sample prepared with unrefined sunflower seed oil served as a control. The results showed that the microwave pretreatment of seeds greatly enhanced the oxidative stability of the pumpkin seed oil, which increased from 3 h 46 min ± 10 min in the untreated sample to 4 h 32 min ± 14 min in the microwave cold press pumpkin seed oil. The sterol content increased from 4735 ± 236.75 mg/kg oil in the untreated cold press pumpkin seed oil to 5989 ± 299.45 mg/kg oil and 7156 ± 357.8 mg/kg in the microwave cold press pumpkin seed oil and the roasted cold press pumpkin seed oil, respectively. The mayonnaise prepared with microwave cold press pumpkin seed oil exhibited the lowest creaming index and was more stable to droplet growth when compared to the other mayonnaise samples. All mayonnaise samples prepared with pumpkin seed oils exhibited higher total phenolic contents and antioxidant activities during storage when compared to the mayonnaise sample prepared with unrefined sunflower seed oil. Among pumpkin seed oil mayonnaise samples, the highest values were, however, observed in the one prepared with microwave cold press pumpkin seed oil. Thanks to its high nutraceuticals, the latter could be confidently regarded as a natural fat substitute for commercial stable vegetable oils mayonnaise type emulsions.
Keywords: antioxidant activity; full-fat mayonnaise formulation; oil extraction; physical properties; pumpkin seeds treatments; storage.