Date palm is a popular and high-revenue crop, and the consumption of date fruits is no longer limited to the Middle Eastern countries. Date fruit has gained interest due to its nutritional value and taste, and date seeds have recently been identified as sources of valuable bioactive ingredients. Australia has excellent agronomic conditions for cultivating date palm, and the value of this crop has been identified by the Australian government and private sectors. However, more work needs to be done to raise awareness of this industry among potential investors and researchers in order to develop a sustainable date palm industry in Australia. Several date varieties have been successfully grown at a small scale in Central and Southern Australia. Medjool and Barhee have been among the most recommended varieties due to their high market potential in domestic and international markets. Date seeds have also been recognized as a source of valuable functional ingredients including dietary fiber and natural antioxidants. Date seed extracts have shown very good bioactive properties potentially useful in treating some neurodegenerative diseases, and possibly cancer. The utilization of date seeds, which is an abundant by-product of date processing, could improve profitability and financial security of this industry. This review discusses the emergence of the date fruit and seed industry in Australia and its associated benefits to farmers and consumers.
Fresh tea leaves (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) are processed by various techniques to produce different types of tea. The most common way to classify tea types is based on the similarities in processing methods resulting in the five commonly recognized tea types: white, green, oolong, black, and pu‐erh teas. The differences in the degree and nature of fermentation of tea leaves lead to different chemical changes depending on the processing method. Understanding the phytochemical profile of differently processed tea is important, as tea types classified by processing methods are currently not well defined because the chemical parameters for these tea types are still not established. Therefore, any significant characteristics found for a tea type due to processing may be helpful in defining tea types. However, the evidence on the impact of tea processing on phytochemical profile and contents in differently processed tea is currently unclear. Therefore, this review aims to examine (1) the processing techniques of white, green, oolong, black, and pu‐erh tea, (2) the impact of tea processing on tea phytochemicals, and (3) the key characteristics associated with the phytochemical profiles of differently processed tea. Practical Application Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntz) is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. Tea consumption has been demonstrated through in‐vitro experiments and in animal and human intervention studies to exhibit potential in preventing various oxidative stress‐related chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer.s disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Based on the processing methods, tea is commonly categorized into white, green, oolong, black and pu‐er tea. However, there are large overlap in processing methods between some teas and, more importantly, the chemical compositions of differently processed teas are highly variable. This review aims to examine (1) how white, green, oolong, black and Pu‐erh tea are processed, (2) what are the effects of tea processing on tea phytochemicals and (3) to identify whether there are key characteristics associated to the phytochemical profiles of differently processed teas. The review will contribute to tea research in collating in one article the state of knowledge on the chemical changes and composition of the differently processed teas, and point to future direction in this area of research.
Date (Pheonix dactylifera L.) seeds are a valuable and abundant by-product with various potential food applications. Free polyphenols (FPPs) and bound polyphenols (BPPs) of date seeds from Deglet Nour variety grown in Australia were investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The FPP fraction contained the following main phenolic compounds per gram of date seed powder; procyanidin B1 (499.8 ± 7.8 μg), procyanidin B2 (288.6 ± 6.1 μg), catechin (167.6 ± 2.1 μg), epicatechin (39.44 ± 0.39 μg), and protocatechuic acid (1.77 ± 0.22 μg). Additionally, one of the 2 A-type dimers was confirmed as procyanidin A2 (24.05 ± 0.12 μg/g). A-type dimers have not been reported before in date seeds. The BPP fraction contained epicatechin (52.59 ± 0.76 μg/g) and procyanidin B2 (294.2 ± 3.7 μg/g), while several peaks exhibiting ESI m/z of 153 indicated dihydroxybenzoic acid isomers including protocatechuic acid (2.138 ± 0.025 μg/g). These findings contributed to our knowledge of date seed phytochemicals and understanding of their contribution to the reported bioactivities.
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