Dehydration of date fruit (Pheonix dactylifera L.) for the production of natural sweet powder

Abstract

The study aimed to produce natural additive-free powder from date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.). Dehydration of two date fruit varieties, i.e., Sukkari (semi-dry) and Barakawi (dry) was perforned at 65, 70 and 75 °C up to 72 h using a cabinet dryer. A temperature of 70 °C was found optimum for drying of both varieties by considering drying rate, total phenolic content, and hydroxymethylfurfural content. Barakawi date powder was found better than the Sukkari counterpart on comparing the water activity and clumping, mainly due to a low initial moisture content of the corresponding date fruit. To overcome the issue of clumping, the powders were compressed into tablets and cubes. The solubilities of the tablets/cubes were around 20% compared to 70–75% for powders. The article also presents a comprehensive comparison of fine and coarse fractions of date fruit powders for various physical parameters.