Comparing the differences in quality profiles and antioxidant activity in seven pumpkin cultivars ( and ) at harvest and during postharvest storage.

Pumpkin, nutritious vegetable, is renowned for its extended shelf life. In this study, seven pumpkin cultivars from and were comparatively characterized for 25 physiochemical quality factors, starch granule structures, antioxidant activity, and correlations at 0-60 days of postharvest (dop). The findings revealed that sucrose and carotenoid contents increased in , while they initially increased and then decreased in . Additionally, acidity, primarily driven by malic acid, decreased in but increased in . The starch content of and reached its maximum value at 30 dop and 20 dop, respectively. The DPPH radical scavenging activity correlated with the carotenoid content in both pumpkin species. Conclusively, demonstrated improved nutritional and quality at 20-30 dop, while exhibited higher commercial suitability at 10-20 dop. The findings suggested that pumpkin storage was crucial for quality improvement.