Pumpkin seed oil

Pumpkin seed oil is from the roasted seeds of a local variety of the garden squash, the Styrian oil pumpkin, vegetable oil produced. The oil can be used as salad oil, it is also used in cold and hot starters, main courses and desserts.

PGI As Styrian pumpkin seed oil it is an accepted appellation with region protection.

• 5.1 In the pharmacy and medicine
• 5.2 In folk medicine
• 5.3 In cosmetics
• 5.4 In the kitchen

General properties and

Cold-pressed pumpkin seed oil has a greenish color, hot -pressed, however, more of a reddish fluorescent. The smell of the oil is described as intense nutty, green, herbal, roasted and mildly spicy. The taste of pumpkin seed oil is nutty, highly aromatic and with an intense taste. The solidification point of this oil is between about -15 to -16 ° C.

In folk medicine it is told by even a favorable effect on benign prostatic hyperplasia. Initial experimental studies on rats from 2006 seem to confirm this property of the favorable influence of testosterone- induced prostatic hyperplasia.

The Styrian oil pumpkin

In Styria the culinary specialty from the Styrian oil pumpkin is (Cucurbita pepo var styriaca ) were prepared. This variety differs from the many other pumpkin shapes with a unique feature: it has the woody seed coat lost by a mutation about 100 years ago, so that the seed kernel only protects a thin silver skin. The soft consistency of the cores enables efficient compression of the oil. The intense green, red fluorescent color is dissolved in the oil to the back shell pigments ( chlorophyll and pheophytin a and b ).

History

The history of the pumpkin seed oil began in 1735, when it was still made ​​of thick-shelled seeds. The naked -shell variety used today was bred by selection of mutations, their cultivation spread in Styria 1870-1880. Up until the 1970s was seed oil within Austria only in Southern Styria known. Only in the 1980s, began his triumphant in the large and small kitchens in many countries.

Extraction

Special procedure in Styria

The oil pumpkin grown in the traditional territory of the southern Styria and southern Burgenland and the adjacent areas of Hungary and Slovenia as well as in Russia. The approximately 8 to 10 -pound fruits ripen on the sandy- loamy soils with a special air of warmth and moisture. If the color of the pumpkin fruit has changed from green to yellow-orange in autumn, up to 1000 seeds are obtained by machine or on small farms still by hand from the pulp. The seeds are washed and dried at 50 ° C, thus they are made storable. They can then be milled. The advantage over the olive oil production is that pumpkin seed oil is pressed as needed throughout the year from the storable cores.

To win the oil from the dry flour, the ground seeds are mixed with water and salt and roasted until the water has evaporated; while the dough is stirred constantly. Roasting is necessary to separate the protein contained in the cores of the oil. The finished porridge - also called oil cake - will be pressed. Previously, the slurry in a solid wooden device ( "Styrian Ölkuh " ) was pressed by the pressing two special wood inserts. The pressing was done by pounding on a wooden wedge ( " oil refuse " ) characterized the professional title Ölschläger came about.

The freshly pressed oil is allowed to stand still for a few days, thereby settle the suspended solids. Stored cool and dark, the oil holds at least 9 months. To win one liter of oil, one needs three kilograms cores or about 35 pumpkins.

General oil recovery

Pumpkin seed oil is obtained from the chopped and roasted seeds of the garden pumpkins that are still hot pressed under high pressure by means of a hydraulic press.

Such a gourd can contain up to 100 seeds. These can be peeled or unpeeled processed.

The squeezed residues, the so-called press cake ( also called Ölkaas ), is used as a protein-rich feed for cattle and pigs.

Use

In pharmacy and medicine

Because of the Selenium and Vitamin E contained in pumpkin seed oil has to be an antioxidant effect and can protect the body against free radicals. The high proportion of linoleic acid and phytosterols to have a cholesterol- lowering effect. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is used to support the treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. The high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids acts as a vasodilator may thus lower blood pressure and in this way help prevent heart and circulatory weakness and bladder trouble. In addition, pumpkin seed oil has a positive effect in prostate adenomas at the initial stage is said, but this is as well as some other alleged healing properties of this oil so far not supported by clinical studies. In experimental animals, however, positive effects could be observed in benign prostate enlargement. Mention is the very high proportion of ( semi) essentiellem arginine.

In folk medicine

In naturopathy pumpkin seed oil is used for treating numerous ailments. These include arteriosclerosis, prostatic disease, high blood pressure, voiding difficulties, cystitis, irritable bladder, spinal disc problems, muscle cramps and kidney disease. In addition, it is also used for de-worming.

In cosmetics

In cosmetics, pumpkin seed oil is often used as a carrier oil because it contains many active ingredients such as vitamin A, E and carotenoids, which have good skin care properties and that would otherwise be delivered to the cosmetic products in other ways. This oil will help dry out the skin, wrinkles and fine lines and wrinkles, skin aging, stretch marks and flaky and cracked skin.

In the kitchen

Here is the pumpkin seed oil is a multiple use, for example in connection with lettuce, beef, brawn, soups, scrambled eggs Styrian ' or desserts ( in ice cream). However, since it should not be heated, it is suitable either for boiling or frying or deep frying.

TRADEMARK

In order to protect local specialties from unfair imitation, the EU has established protection systems. " Styrian pumpkin seed oil " was geographically protected by the EU and may include the name Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil PGI lead ( protected geographical indication ) and is the producer ring Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil PGI organized. Since 2006, the territorial protection region is also enshrined as a gourmet region.

Only tested on each bottle manufacturers may Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil PGI stick a white- green banderole with test number. Only in this bottle is guaranteed to contain native seed oil. A strict control system from field to retail ensures that the production and processing takes place in Austria.