Quality Evaluation of Pomegranate-Fortified Pumpkin Jam

Background: Pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.) is a nutritious vegetable with significant nutritional, medicinal, and economic value. This study aimed to develop pumpkin jam fortified with pomegranate and evaluate its quality. Materials and Methods: A control (T0) and three fortified jam formulations (T1, T2, and T3) were prepared and evaluated for sensory, nutritional, physicochemical, antioxidant, and color characteristics. Results: T3 recorded the highest overall acceptability (8.20±0.69), with superior scores for appearance (8.20±0.95), color (8.35±0.81), flavor (8.20±0.89), taste (8.25±0.78), and texture (8.40±0.59). Protein content ranged from 0.86±0.10% to 2.25±0.10%, carbohydrate from 40.76±2.37% to 65.75±2.02%, fat from 0.65±0.06% to 1.05±0.06%, and energy from 177.97±11.40 to 297.90±33.00 kcal/100 g. Moisture content decreased from 55.70±3.34% (T0) to 29.23±2.78% (T2), while total soluble solids increased to 14.57±0.13% (T3). Antioxidant activity reached 62.86±0.34% in T3. Color values changed from L 37.86±0.28 to 24.99±10.15*, a 14.06±0.89 to 22.16±0.09*, and b 26.50±0.30 to 16.09±0.38*, indicating a darker and redder jam. Conclusion: Pomegranate fortification improved the overall quality of pumpkin jam. Among the formulations, T3 demonstrated the best sensory, nutritional, physicochemical, antioxidant, and color characteristics, making it the most acceptable formulation.