Common date palm in Tunisia: chemical composition of pulp and pits

Abstract

Date pulp and seeds (Phoenix dactylifera L.) of a mixture of some mature common varieties called 'Khalti', from the South-Eastern region of Tunisia, were evaluated for their main chemical composition. Studies were also conducted on the profiles of the extracted oil fatty acid. The following average values (on a dry-weight basis) were obtained from the pulp and pits, respectively: total sugars 63.38% and 8.12%, reducing sugars 51.56% and 6.63%, sucrose 11.82% and 1.49%, protein 3.86% and 5.31%, oil 0.26% and 8.33%. Gasliquid chromatography revealed that the major unsaturated fatty acid was linoleic acid (32.77%) for the pulp and oleic acid (47.66%) for the pits, while the main saturated fatty acid was palmitic acid (20.55%) for the pulp and lauric acid (17.39%) for the pits. Myristic, stearic and linolenic acids were also found in both the pulp and seeds. The uses of common dates, which are currently used only for animal feed, are assessed with suggestions for potential uses as sources of nutraceutical fructose and edible, pharmaceutical oils.

Some Physico-Chemical Properties of Date Fruit Varieties

“…The crude protein contents of dafe fruit were found between 1.43% (Sugei) and 2.55 % (Sukary), fiber contents of pulp were determined between 2.45% and 2.49%. Saafi et al, (2008) reported that date pulp contained 39.25% moisture, 63.38 % total sugars, 51.56% reducing sugars, 11.82% sucrose, 3.86% protein and 0.26 % fat.…”

“…The total phenolics content reported by Al-Farsi et al, (2005) for several date varieties ranged between 217 and 343 mg per 100 g. In our study, sucrose and reducing sugar contents of date pulp were determined to be 57.17% and 42.83% for Sukary, 0.59% and 99.41% for Khalas and 1.13% and 98.86% for sugei, respectively (Table 1). Date pits from the "Khalti" variety contained 6.88% of moisture, 8.12% of total sugar, 6.63% reducing sugar, 1.49% of sucrose, 5.31% of protein and 8.33% of fat (Saafi et al, 2008).…”

“…The total fatty acid contents of date pulps ranged between 95.26 % (Sukary) to 99.98 % (Sugei). Saafi et al, (2008) reported that the date pulp oil contained 67.51 % unsaturated fatty acid represented by linoleic acid (32.77%), oleic acid (23.35%) and linolenic acid (9.19%).…”

“…It is an important member of the family Palmaceae, providing a food for people in the arid and semiarid regions of the world (Saafi et al, 2008). Sawaya et al, (1983) reported that the moisture, total nitrogen, fat, fiber, ash, tannins, vitamin C, β-carotene and ten nutritionally important minerals of the date were highest in the early stages of development and decreased during maturation.…”

In vitro evaluation of compost extracts efficiency as biocontrol agent of date palm Fusarium wilt

“…Author ( Economically, the date palm fruit and by-product are precious for their nutritional and dietetic properties and income generating for oasis' populations (Al-shahib and Marshall, 2003;Chao and Krueger, 2007;Saafi et al, 2008). "Bayoud" disease ( Figure 1) is the most destructive fungal disease of date palm.…”