Objectives The aim of this study was to develop instant cream of pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) soup high in b-carotene for the elderly. Methods The design was a completely randomized factorial design with two replications and three formulas. There were two factors tested including the type of processing (fresh vs instant) and the proportion of pumpkin and carrot (1:2 vs 1:1 vs 2:1). The formulas were evaluated by semi-trained panellists for the hedonic test, while by the elderly for the acceptance tests. The routine proximate analysis was then conducted. In addition, the potassium and b-carotene contents were also determined by inductively couple plasma–optical emission spectrophotometer (ICP-OES) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), respectively. Results The selected formula was soup processed instantly with proportion of pumpkin and carrot of 2:1. The elderly preferred instant soup to the fresh. The selected formula contained 491.69 kcal/100 g, water (3.87%), ash (2.22%), protein (9.82%), fat (23.21%) and carbohydrate (60.88%). In addition, the potassium and b-carotene content of selected formula were 501.35 mg/100 g and 3380 μg/g, respectively. In addition, the selected formula met 100% of RDA per serving size. Conclusions The elderly preferred instant cream of pumpkin soup to the fresh with pumpkin and carrot ratio of 2:1. The instant cream of pumpkin soup is a nutritious food high in b-carotene. Funding Sources Centre For Development and Empowerment teacher and education personnel, Ministry Education and Culture, Republic of Indonesia.

Covid-19 pandemic has widely impacted lives. An adaptive strategy must be quickly formulated to maintain the quality of education, especially in vocational schools where technical skill competencies are highly needed. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of e-training on the attitude and skill competencies of vocational high school teachers in Indonesia. A total of 614 Indonesian vocational high school teachers with various programs, including hospitality, administration, online business and marketing, culinary arts, fashion, cashier, tourism, haircut, and accounting, participated in e-training for a month. The training used an electronic learning management system to provide materials (modules, presentation slides, and tutorial videos), tasks, and evaluations. The tutorial class was carried out via video conference meeting. Attitude and skill competencies were evaluated before and after the training. Meanwhile, the teachers also gave positive feedback on the quality of the organizer and tutors. Data analysis used paired sample t-test and ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test. The results showed that e-training significantly increased the score of attitude and skill competencies of the teachers (p <0.05). Moreover, a remarkable increase was found among hospitality (57.5%), cashier (50.1%), and online business and marketing (48.7%) teachers. However, the effect on fashion, tourism, and haircut teachers was less obvious. In addition, the satisfactory score on the quality of the organizer and tutors were 88.9 (very good), and 93.5 (excellence), respectively. The study concludes that a well-organized e-training could increase the attitude and skill competencies of Indonesian vocational high school teachers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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