## 3 Results  
Results of chemical composition of flowers of various species and varieties of pumpkins flowers are presented in Table 1. On the basis of the obtained dry matter results, the average DM (dry mass) content in the pumpkin flowers was 6.42 g/100 g. The average protein content in the fresh mass of pumpkin flowers was 1.31 g/100 g. The highest content of this component was found in the Rouge vif d'Etampes variety (1.50 g/100 g), while the lowest was found in the variety of butternut squash flowers (1.14 g/100 g). The fat content in the analyzed pumpkin flowers ranged from 0.33 g/100 g (Miranda variety) to 0.21 g/100 g (Ambar variety). Among the analyzed fatty acids in pumpkin flowers, no heptadecanoic acid (C17:0) or, in most cases, erucic acid (C22:1) were found. C22:1 acid was only found in flowers of Muscade de Provance and Butternnut squash. Additionally, docosanoic acid (C22:0) was not found in the flowers of Ambar and Atlantic Giant varieties. The individual fatty acids in the pumpkin flowers varied within fairly wide ranges (Table 1). The presence of n-myristic acid (C14:0) was found at an amount from 2.48% (Bambino variety) to 0.01% (Rouge vif d'Etampes variety), n-palmitic acid (C16:0) from 33.43% (Ambar variety) up to 13.56% (Muscade de Provance variety), and palmitoleic acid (C16:1) from 2.58% (Ambar variety) to 0.06% (Amazon variety). No amounts of octadecanoic acid (C18:0) were found in the flowers of Ambar pumpkin, while these values were the highest in the Muscade de Provance variety (5.12%). Similarly, the above variety was characterized by the highest oleic acid content (C18:1). The range of linoleic acid (C18:2) ranged from 23.69% (Butternut variety) to 10.63% (Miranda variety), and \(\alpha\)-linolenic acid (C18:3) ranged from 62.59% (Miranda variety) to 38.28% (Ambar variety). The average total carbohydrate content in the fresh mass of pumpkin flowers was 3.84 g/100 g. Miranda (3.90 g/100 g) had the highest content of this nutrient, whilst the Atlantic Giant variety (3.02 g/100 g) had the lowest. Among the total carbohydrates, sugars ranged from 2.43% to 1.36%. The energy value in 100 g of fresh pumpkin flowers ranged from 18.67 kcal to 24.25 kcal (Table 1). The ash content in fresh pumpkin flowers was on average 1.31 g/100 g. The highest mineral content was found in the Atlantic Giant variety (1.92 g/100 g), and the lowest was found in Miranda (0.85 g/100 g) (Table 1). Among the macronutrients, calcium ranged from 37.77 mg (Miranda) to 14.01 mg (Rouge vif d'Etampes), magnesium ranged from 35.83 mg (Miranda) to 17.72 mg (Ambar), and potassium ranged from 349.66 mg (Muscade de Provence) to 199.73 mg (Amazon). Among the micronutrients, Fe ranged from 5.29 mg to 1.26 mg (for the Butternut and Ambar varieties, respectively), Zn ranged from 0.78 mg to 0.48 mg (for Miranda and the Amazonka and Ambar varieties, respectively), and Mn ranged from 0.38 mg to 0.18 mg (Butternut and Ambar, respectively). The highest energy value of fresh flowers was only 24.25 kcal (Miranda cultivars), and the Atlantic Giant flowers (18.67 kcal) had the lowest energy (Table 1). The carotenoid and total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of flowers of various species and varieties of pumpkins are shown in the Table 2. Pumpkin flowers are distinguished by the beautiful yellow-orange color of the petals. This is due to the carotenoid content in them. The strongest color, and thus the highest carotenoid content, corresponded to the Miranda variety (45.82 mg), while the lowest amount was found in butternut squash flakes (15.27 mg). The average carotenoid content of the fresh mass of pumpkin flowers was 29.8 mg/100 g.  
The total polyphenol content in fresh pumpkin flowers was on average 133.26 mg CAE/100 g. The highest content was that of the Atlantic Giant variety (182.07 mg), while the lowest content was that of the Bambino variety (104.36 mg CAE/100 g) (Table 2). The antioxidant activity of fresh pumpkin flowers was on average 11.57 mol TE/g.