Use of culinary ingredients as protective components during thermal heating of pumpkin oil.

Pumpkin seeds are often discarded due to limited awareness of their benefits, yet they yield an oil rich in monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated fatty acids, with notable levels of oleic acid (>30 %) and linoleic acid (>50 %). The oil also contains nutritionally valuable unsaponifiable components, qualifying it as a functional food. Culinary ingredients like merkén and clove, used in various dishes, offer additional properties.