Functional food and nutra‐pharmaceutical perspectives of date ( Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruit

Abstract

Date palm counts among the oldest fruit crops of the world and is mainly cultivated for its highly nutritious fruits consumed as a staple food in many countries, especially in the Gulf region. Dates are enriched with numerous therapeutic bioactives and functional compounds such as phenolics, flavonols, carotenoids, minerals, and vitamins that not only provide an appreciable amount of energy required for the human body but also act as an effective therapeutic agent against several diseases. This review aimed to provide a deep insight into the nutritional as well as phytochemicals profile of date fruit and its seeds in order to explore their biological (anti‐cancer, anti‐diabetic, cardio‐protective, anti‐inflammatory properties), functional food, and nutra‐pharmaceutical attributes. Practical applications This review provides updated information regarding the date fruits and seeds phytochemicals composition together with highlighting dates potential as a natural therapeutic agent against several diseases. The study also urges the importance of consuming dates as a great package to live a healthy life due to the functional food and nutraceutical properties of this valuable fruit. The study also provides information first time as recommending dates to cope with the hidden hunger or micronutrient deficiency faced by the third world inhabitants. Hence, the review may further help the industry and researchers to explore the potential of dates for future medicinal and nutra‐pharmaceutical applications.

Efficient utilization of date palm waste for the bioethanol production through Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain

“…It is recognized that dates are the principal source of natural antioxidants which include carotenoids, phenolics, tocopherols, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid which may occur in different concentrations and forms according to the date palm genotype and postharvest processing mechanics. Similarly, date seed oil's total antioxidant activity depends on the type and different antioxidant concentrations, depending on date variety and method of extraction (Siddeeg, Faisal Manzoor, et al., 2019; Siddeeg, Zeng, et al., 2019; Younas et al., 2020).…”

Date Fruit and Seed in Nutricosmetics

“…The seed oil has high oxidative stability, an extended storage capacity, and can protect the skin from UV radiation and repair it [38,130]. Moreover, date seed oil has shown antiwrinkle properties owing to the presence of phytohormones that can reduce wrinkles and improve skin elasticity [131]. Furthermore, the ascorbic acid and vitamin E in the date extract improve the moisture level of the skin by stimulating dermal fibroblasts and increasing collagen levels; they also significantly correlate with anti-aging [132].…”

Therapeutic Potential of Date Palm against Human Infertility: A Review

“…The male reproductive cells respond to date palm pollen (DPP), which is characterized by a high content of carbohydrate, lipid, and protein; hence, pollen should be highlighted as an ideal natural supplement containing energy and possessing good nutritional value [ 43 , 44 ]. The major constituents of date pollen are amino acids including glutamine, proline, glycine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, aspartic acid, threonine histidine, lysine, arginine, methionine, isoleucine, serine, alanine, and Valine [ 39 ].…”