Courier Mail, Edition I - Good Life TUE 07 FEB 2006, Page 003

Best of the west
A farming family is producing a wholesome oil unique in Australia, writes Fiona Donnelly

WHAT did you bring back from your holidays? The enterprising West family of Chinchilla, cattle farmers, returned from their jaunt overseas with the seeds of an idea they've been slowly nurturing into a business ever since.

Helen West, husband John and their daughters Sharan and Viki are the brains behind Pepo, "the green oil", Australia's first domestically grown and produced pumpkin seed oil.

Little known on this side of the world, in Europe pumpkin seed oil is prized for its taste and health benefits. In Germany, it's officially acknowledged for its favourable effects on the symptoms of benign prostate enlargement.

A quick trawl of other Internet sites reveal further health claims. Up until the 1930s the oil was listed in the US as a treatment for intestinal worms; others talk of its ability to ease the inflammation associated with osteoarthritis, lubricate joints and assist with bladder problems. Some even spruik the cold-pressed drop as a libido enhancer.

Certainly, it's chock full of nutrients. It contains zinc, magnesium, manganese, folate, vitamin E, phytosterols, selenium and omega 6 and 9. But, as far as Helen West is concerned, the main benefit is its versatile, nutty flavour. In her husbandÕs birth country of Slovenia, it's used to perk up everything from salads and meat dishes to ice cream.

"I love the oil. I've been using it since I met my husband 35 years ago," Helen says. "It was almost impossible to get hold of it (in the past). Whenever the Sydney markets had a bit youÕd just buy every bottle you could find."

Although the Wests call their product "the green oil", it actually appears more black than green in appearance. It's not until placed in front of light that it transforms to a deep green colour with hints of red. The aroma is rich and distinctly nutty but it doesn't have the cloying after effects of stronger oils like sesame.

When the Wests travelled to Eastern Europe to visit their extended family in 1998 they returned with a tiny 100g packet of the famous Styrian cucurbita pepo (pumpkin) seed which they declared through AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service).

The seeds, which unlike most other pumpkin seeds do not have a tough, fibrous outer shell, grew beautifully in Chinchilla. The next step was to spend more time in Slovenia to learn how to process the seeds in the traditional way. John had relatives in the business who helped out and the couple spent three months observing and working in several factories there.

For Helen, there's a happy synergy between the family's new business and the farm's other activity - raising cattle and goats. The cow manure comes in handy to nurture the pumpkins, the goats help out with the weeding of the suckers, and then the pumpkin flesh is fed back to the beasts, because only the seeds are used in the production of the oil.

The Wests are about to embark on the path to organic certification this year, but the pumpkins on both their Chinchilla 400ha farm and the 80ha Wondai holding they've bought specifically to raise pumpkins are already grown without pesticides or chemical sprays, as befits the "green oil" label.

The best seeds from each harvest are kept back for replanting the following year and the Wests also import fresh seed from Styria to ensure the product remains authentic. It takes 30 pumpkins to produce just one litre of oil.

"It's a special variety of pumpkin. No one knows how it developed in Austria as a seed without a shell, only a thin membrane," Helen says.

"Its first mentioned use is in Austria in 1753 and most research comes from there. In the Styrian part of Austria the prostate cancer rate is just .01 per cent."

In addition to growing the pumpkins and cold-pressing the oil, the Wests also produce a pepita pesto using crushed pumpkin seeds; a pepita meal which functions as a nutritious replacement for flour; and a seasonal range of natural, chocolate-covered and more recently, chilli-flavoured pepita seeds.

Pepo already has started exporting to Hong Kong and is now sending quotes to export to Korea. "In Asia they are very aware of the properties of oil. The Australians will take more education. Culturally we haven't had as much exposure, and we're not so aware of the benefits of different oils," she says.

Pepo's Green Oil products are avai-lable in a range of health food shops and delis. You'll find more details online at www.thegreenoil.com

Rural Weekly - Friday, October 7, 2005 (pg .9)

Pumpkin seed oil packs full punch of nutrition
Few people would consider adding pumpkin seed oil to their favourite salad - but that is set to change as a Chinchilla-based business takes off.
Pepo Pty Ltd is Australia's first and only pumpkin seed oil producer, growing, roasting and pressing the seed themselves. The family-owned business also markets its oil under the brand name The Green Oil, directly by mail order as well as through a growing number of retail outlets including gourmet delicatessens and health food stores.
Last week company representative Sharan West was awarded a scholarship for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) New Industries Development Program to further develop the company's marketing strategies.
Ms West was the only Queensland recipient among 12 Scholarship winners.
"A lot of people haven't heard of pumpkin seed oil, but is is on the of the top three oils in nutritional terms alongside flax and hempseed oil," Ms West said.
Pumpkin seed oil has very high levels of Omega-6 and Omega-9 fatty acids, high levels of phytosterols (plant fats), antioxidants and minerals including zinc, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.
The oil is valued within Slovenian and other European cuisines for its warm, roasted nutty flavour and unique dark green, almost black colour.
Not suited to frying, pumpkin seed oil is used as a salad dressing (traditionally combined with apple cider vinegar) drizzled over cooked foods or included into bread, cakes or other baked goods.
Chefs have also been using it as an ingredient in non-traditional pestos and risottos.
In July Sharan, her sister Viki and parents John and Helen West took The Green Oil to the Good Food and Wine Show in Sydney, where it was well received by both new tasters and those who already knew of the oil's particular qualities.
"Previously small quantities of pumpkin seed oil have been imported to meet demand from European migrants, but the overseas sources are drying up," Ms West said.
"People were very please to see an Australian-grown and produced oil on the market".
Pumpkin seed oil is produced from one variety of pumpkin only: a pumpkin which has a seed kernel without the fibrous membrane that protects the seeds of most other pumpkin varieties.
Instead it has a light green film protecting the kernel which gives the oil its distinctive colour.
The Wests pressed their first commercial quantities of oil last season and are now preparing to plant this season's pumpkins on about 52 hectares of land.
Seed, drip lines and black plastic are laid in one operation but neat rows soon disappear as the pumpkin vines develop. The first pumpkins ripen in late December or early January and the harvest continues until the first frosts arrive.
It takes about 30 pumpkins to produce one litre of the oil: the Wests also produce high protein pepita meal (a flour substitute) from the pressing process.
They have added a range of whole roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) including chocolate-coated pepitas and experimented in Sydney with chilli-coated pepitas.
The flesh from the pumpkins is not wasted: it is fed to "our fertiliser plant - the cows" and manure used to grow the next crop.
Currently Pepo Pty Ltd grows enough pumpkins itself to meet demand, but hope to sub-contract other growers as the business develops.
For more information on pumpkin seed oil visit the company's website www.thegreenoil.com or telephone 4668 8765.

Queensland Country Life - Thursday, October 6, 2005 (pg. 6)

GREEN PUMPKIN OIL:
Trip sows seed for family firm
When the West family took a European holiday eight years ago, they came back with a business idea so good is was worth bottling.
Fortunately for health buffs and food lovers, the family went further, developing a fully-integrated system from the ground up that involves production, manufacturing, value-adding and distribution from their property 65km north-east of Chinchilla.
Its a finely-tuned operation, but keeping the wheels well lubricated is "the green oil", the product they extract from pumpkin seeds through a roasting and pressing process using purpose-built equipment.
This december after harvest, the Wests - Helen and John and daughter's Viki and Sharan (pictured) - will produce just over 8000 litres of oil from an estimated 50 tonnes of seed.
And it all started with the humble Styrian seed they brought back from Slovenia in 1998.
After planting in late spring, each seed will produce up to 30 pumpkins at Christmas.
A state-of-the-art Austrian-built machine will harvest an average 100 grams of seed from each pumpkin, but it takes 3kg to make one litre of oil.
Unlike the Queensland Blue or Jarrahdale, the Pepo pumpkin variety doesn't make good eating, except if you're a cow. So all pumpkin flesh is given to the Wests' small herd, which in trun produces fertilizer, in keeping the the family's biological farming principles.
Story: BRAD COOPER. Picture LOUISE DONGES.

Story to come

Pumpkin seed oil - Potential medicinal preparation for Jamaica
published in Jamaica Gleaner Thursday | January 12, 2006
Maxine Gossell-Williams, Contributor Locally grown pumpkin fruit.

Oil produced from the seeds of the pumpkin is rich in vitamins and minerals. PUMPKIN IS a fruit grown and eaten in North America, China, Hungary, Austria, Mexico, Yugoslavia and several Caribbean countries including Jamaica (Murkovic et. al. 1996). The seeds of the pumpkin are a rich source of vitamins A, B and E, omega-3 and omega-6, zinc, selenium, carbohydrates and cholesterol-like molecules called phytosterols.
Countries such as Bulgaria, Turkey and Ukraine have reported that eating a handful of pumpkin seeds is beneficial for the treatment of prostatic hyperplasia. In this condition there is enlargement of the prostate, an organ found encircling the urethra of males. The enlargement produces compression of the urethra and, therefore, causes difficulty in passing urine, thus the associated Jamaican term, 'stoppage of water'.
Monographs produced by the German Commission E have documented the usefulness of pumpkin seed oil for the treatment of prostate enlargement and a few clinical evaluations in Europe have confirmed that it alleviates the associated urinary complications. In one clinical trial, over 2000 men suffering from prostate enlargement were treated with capsules containing pumpkin seed oil and found that there was significant improvement in urinary function. So effective are the actions of pumpkin seed oil that GlaxoSmithkline currently produces a pharmaceutical pumpkin seed oil preparation called "ProstaFink" that is marketed in Europe.
Using an animal model of prostate enlargement, researches in the pharmacology section of the University of the West Indies have shown that pumpkin seed oil can inhibit the growth of the prostate and continue to assess the actions to elucidate the mechanism involved.

REDUCING BLOOD CHOLESTEROL
Pumpkin seed oil has also been reported in folklore to reduce blood cholesterol concentration (www.healthinformation-/encyclopedias/pumpkin seedOil.asp). High levels of cholesterol in the blood are associated with chronic illnesses such as hypertension and stroke. While scientific evidence of the effect of pumpkin seed oil on cholesterol concentration in the blood is limited, it is known that including phytosterols, as well as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the diet can significantly lower blood cholesterol levels. Therefore, it is speculated that since pumpkin seed oil is rich in these compounds, then it may have clinical usefulness in reducing blood cholesterol levels. Researchers in the Pharmacology Section at the UWI are currently investigating this possible action of pumpkin seed oil on blood cholesterol concentrations.
The significance of plants as sources of medicine has gained momentum in current times. In fact many developing countries are directing pharmaceutical research towards producing therapeutically semi-purified forms, which are quantifiable, with no serious toxicities and low in cost.
Currently, pharmacies, supermarkets and other health stores sell imported pumpkin seeds, (roasted and unroasted) and there are at least two brands of pumpkin seed oil capsules available. Although the economic value of pumpkin seed sales has not been assessed, oral communication with storeowners have indicated that these products are in high demand in Jamaica. Thus there is significant economic potential for the local production of nutritional and pharmaceutical preparations using Jamaican pumpkin seeds.

Home | Products | How do I get some? | Recipes | Testimonials | FAQ'S | Nutrition/Benefits | About The Green Oil | Photo Page | Links | Contact Us | Privacy Policy