Date fruit: chemical composition, nutritional and medicinal values, products

Abstract

Date fruit has served as a staple food in the Arab world for centuries. Worldwide production of date fruit has increased almost threefold over the last 40 years, reaching 7.68 million tons in 2010. Date fruit can provide many essential nutrients and potential health benefits to the consumer. Date fruit goes through four ripening stages named kimri, khalal, rutab and tamer. The main chemical components of date fruit include carbohydrates, dietary fibre, enzymes, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins, phenolic acids and carotenoids. The chemical composition of date fruit varies according to ripening stage, cultivar, growing environment, postharvest conditions, etc. The nutritional and medicinal activities of date fruit are related to its chemical composition. Many studies have shown that date fruit has antioxidant, antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anticancer and immunostimulant activities. Various date fruit-based products such as date syrup, date paste, date juice and their derived products are available. Date by-products can be used as raw materials for the production of value-added products such as organic acids, exopolysaccharides, antibiotics, date-flavoured probiotic-fermented dairy produce, bakery yeasts, etc. In this paper the chemical composition and nutritional and medicinal values of date fruit as well as date fruit-based products are reviewed.

Antioxidant activity, volatile and nonvolatile composition of two Phoenix dactylifera L. by-products

“…Concerning the mineral composition, our results are in great compatibility with those of many others studies which showed that dates fruits and seeds are a suitable source of minerals [15,17,22].…”

“…In dates flesh, lipids are mainly concentrated in the skin, where they reach low values ranging from 0.1% to 0.9% [15]. Our results are similar to those from El Arem et al [7], who reported a fat content comprised between 0.2% and 0.5% but they are in contrast with those of Mohamed et al [18] for Sudanese date palms which ranged between 1.71% and 2.0%.…”

“…The dates are not a rich source of protein, but they contain more protein than other fruits [15]. It ranges between 5.5% at kimiri stage and 2.5% at tamar stage.…”

Effects of Acai Berry Ethanolic Extracts on Production of Nitric Oxide and Activity of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Related to Blood Circulation

“…특히 식물로부터 유래한 기능성 성분이 혈액순환 장 애, 고혈압, 고지혈증, 동맥경화, 뇌졸중, 중풍, 심장질환 등과 같은 여러 가지 병리학적 질환의 신호전달에 영향을 주는 것 으로 밝혀져 있다 [14]. 그 중에서 proanthocyanidin 및 anthocyanin과 같은 flavonoid 성분이 항산화 효능 뿐만 아니라 혈 액순환과 같은 다양한 신진대사의 활성화에 효능이 있는 것으 로 보고되고 있다 [25]. 이와 같이, 혈액순환 뿐만 아니라 복합 적인 질환의 효능을 나타내는 약용식물로 알려진 아사이베리 (Acai berry, Euterpe oleracea)는 아사이 야자나무의 열매이다.…”

Development of Novel Confectionary Bars by Utilizing Date “Tagyat Variety”

“…The fruits are either consumed directly (fresh or in dried form) or are converted into products such as jam, wine, juice, vinegar, etc. [21]. However, DBs can be a better alternative to direct consumption of dates, especially during off-seasons.…”