Nutritional Quality and Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Selected Date Fruit Varieties of the United Arab Emirates

Krishnamoorthy Rambabu,Hayyiratul Fatimah Mohd Zaid,Hanifa Taher,Abdul Hai,Fawzi Banat,Govindan Bharath,Shadi W Hasan

doi:10.3390/pr8030256

Krishnamoorthy Rambabu, Hayyiratul Fatimah Mohd Zaid + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8030256

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Abstract

Production of highly soluble date sugar powder from the nutritive date fruits will be a suitable and superior alternative to commercial refined sugar, providing sustainability in date palm cultivation. A good understanding of the nutritional and phytochemical composition of date fruits is imperative for this purpose. In this work, 11 different date fruit species commonly cultivated in the United Arab Emirates were studied for their chemical composition, physical properties, amino acids, minerals, and anti-nutritional contents. The results revealed that the date fruits contain moisture, protein, lipid, and ash content in the ranges of 14.8%–20.5%, 2.19%–3.12%, 0.25%–0.51%, and 1.37%–1.97%, respectively. Potassium was identified as the major microelement in all the date varieties. Amino acid assay depicted that the date fruits mainly contained glutamine and aspartic acids, along with other essential acids. Monosaccharides (glucose and fructose) were more prevalent in the date fruits than polysaccharides (sucrose), exhibiting the potential of date fruit for non-diabetic sugar production. Phytoconstituents present in date samples, such as flavonoids, oxalates, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, and cyanides, were also evaluated and reported. Results showed that although all date fruit varieties were nutritious, they contain significant variation in their nutritional, physical, elemental, and phytochemical properties.

Highlights

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) fruit is the major staple food and the primary source of agricultural wealth in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) [1]
Proximate analysis showed that the date fruits possessed good levels of proteins
Glucose and fructose were identified as major sugar constituents in all of the date types

Summary

Introduction

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) fruit is the major staple food and the primary source of agricultural wealth in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) [1]. The exact origin of the fruit is still unknown, it is believed that date palm cultivation originated in the southern parts of modern. The good adaptability, storage durability, and high food value of the date fruit has led to the spread of date palm cultivation in other parts of the world, especially in arid and semi-arid conditions. The tree is cultivated as one of the major crops in south central Asia, northern parts of Africa, parts of Europe, and in California and Arizona states in the United States of Processes 2020, 8, 256; doi:10.3390/pr8030256 www.mdpi.com/journal/processes. The total production of date fruit around the world was more than 7.5 million tons in.

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