Date-derived industries: A review of common products, manufacturing methods, and leading countries

Abstract

The date fruit, a nourishing food appreciated worldwide, plays an important role in producing countries’ economic and political aspects. Date palms provide numerous products, including date syrup, alcohol, vinegar, date powder, and sugar. This review was undertaken to summarize information about the common date-derived products, the manufacturing methods used, and the leading countries in the date-derived industry. Additionally, the review highlights the future challenges in developing the date industry. The difficulties that accompanied the preparation of this review included the scarcity of modern and reliable information, especially the statistics related to date-derived products from leading countries involved in this industry. This may be due to the incompleteness of such information or the lack of interest in publishing them in reliable scientific sources.

Current insights into date by-product valorization for sustainable food industries and technology

“…Date palm holds signicant socio-economic importance in countries where it is extensively cultivated, and the diverse nutritional and functional properties of the plant have led to a global increase in its production. 19,47 The date palm fruit, characterized by its cylindrical or oval shape, consists of a eshy, thick outer layer surrounding an elongated seed with a groove on one side. The color transitions of the fruit range from yellow to reddish-brown as it matures.…”

“…Harvested dates are consumed directly in their natural stages, such as Khalal, Rutab, or Tamer. 19 Additionally, low-grade or excess dates undergo direct processing or value addition for consumption, manifesting as date syrup, date juice, date extract, date powder, date paste, date fiber concentrate, date jam, vinegar, and some components that serve as animal feed. 50 Despite numerous efforts to convert industrially relevant date processing waste into value-added products, a substantial amount of waste is generated in the form of date seeds, date pomace, and discarded dates.…”

“…[15][16][17][18] However, date palms have also spread to tropical, subtropical, temperate, and arid regions globally, including South America, South Africa, Southern Spain, West Asia, the Mediterranean coast of Africa, Pakistan, Mexico, Australia, India, and parts of the United States (California, Texas, and Arizona). 6,19 With over 2000 global cultivars named according to their originating country, 19,20 date palms offer more than just fruits. They provide ligneous midribs, stalks, and bers from leaves and fronds used in manufacturing building materials, fuel, basketry, and packaging materials.…”

“…10,32,37 Furthermore, vitamins, such as thiamine, cobalamin, riboavin, retinol, pyridoxine, and ascorbic acid, along with carotene, avonoids, and anthocyanins that inuence date color, have been identi-ed in date fruits. 1,6,19 The presence of bioactive compounds like antioxidants, phenols, sterols, anthocyanins, and carotenoids, enhances the functional and health properties of dates, making them benecial for treating cardiovascular and stomach disorders. 10,30,[38][39][40] It is crucial to note that the composition and quantity of these micro and macro nutrients vary according to the cultivar, growth region, ripening stage, and climatic conditions.…”

Evaluation of Antifungal Potential of Mentha pulegium Essential oil in Biological Control Against the Pathogen of Inflorescence Rot Disease of Date Palm (Mauginiella scaettae)

“…Algeria's agriculture is based on the date palm sector, which constitutes the country's second-largest export after hydrocarbons and the primary means of livelihood for those who live in desert oasis regions (Abdelmalek, 2023). Algeria is distinguished by several date varieties, which are characterized by their nutritional value and high yield; their production in 2019 was estimated at 1.4 million tons, and among the most important of these varieties, we cite the Deglat Nour, which accounts for 49% of total date production and is regarded as the most demanded variety locally and internationally (AlFaris et al, 2022).…”