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CHAPTER OUTLINE
Introduction 447 Applications to Health Promotion 447
Botanical Description 447 and Disease Prevention 448
Historical Cultivation and Adverse Effects and Reactions
Usage 448 (Allergies and Toxicity) 451
Present Day Cultivation and Summary Points 451
Usage 448 References 451
s0010 INTRODUCTION
p0010 Dates from the date palm tree are popular among the population of the Middle Eastern
countries, providing a staple food for millions of people in arid and semi-arid regions of
the world. The world production of dates has increased from about 4.6 million tonnes in 1994
to 7.2 million tonnes in 2009 (FAO, 2010). Date seeds, also called stones or pits, form part
of the integral date fruit, which is composed of a fleshy pericarp and seed that constitutes
between 10% and 15% of the date fruit’s weight, depending on the variety and quality
(Hussein et al., 1998); thus, approximately 825,000 tons of date seeds are produced annually
(FAO, 2009). As it is also known that date seeds contain valuable bioactive compounds,
utilization of this by-product is highly desirable for the date industry.
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Effects of Specific Nuts and Seeds
also vary greatly according to variety, and environmental and growing conditions. The seed
weight ranges from 0.5 g to 4 g, the length from 1.2 to 3.6 cm, and the width from 0.6 to
1.3 cm. The seed is usually oblong, ventrally grooved, with a small embryo, and with a hard
endosperm made of a cellulose deposit on the inside of the cell walls (Zaid, 2002).
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acid (11.9%), linoleic acid (11.6%), lauric acid (8.3%), myristic acid (6.0%), and stearic acid
(2.6%).
p0045 Table 53.2 shows the dietary fiber, phenolic, and antioxidant content of several date seed
varieties. Date seeds are a very rich source of dietary fiber; the level varied between 64.5 and
80.15 g/100 g fresh weight. Insoluble dietary fiber (hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin) is
considered to be the major constituent of seed fiber (Al-Farsi & Lee, 2008). The high nutri-
tional value of date seeds is based on their dietary fiber content, which makes them suitable for
the preparation of fiber-based foods and dietary supplements. Dietary fiber has important
therapeutic implications for certain conditions, such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and obesity,
and may have a protective effect against hypertension, coronary heart disease, high cholesterol,
colorectal and prostate cancers, and intestinal disorders (Tariq et al., 2000). 449
p0050 Date seeds are also a rich source of phenolics and antioxidants, which ranged from 3102 to
4430 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g, and 58,000 and 92900 mmol Trolox equivalent/100 g,
respectively (Table 53.2). Al-Farsi and Lee (2008) reported the phenolic acids of date seeds; of
the nine phenolic acids detected, p-hydroxybenzoic (9.89 mg/100 g), protocatechuic
(8.84 mg/100 g), and m-coumaric (8.42 mg/100 g) acids were found to be among the highest.
Since the dietary fiber (5.9e8.7 g/100 g), phenolic (172e246 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g),
and antioxidant (14,600e16,200 mmol Trolox equivalent/100 g) contents in date flesh are
much lower than in date seeds, date seeds could potentially be utilized as a functional food
ingredient (Al-Farsi et al., 2007). Phenolic compounds of fruit seeds, such as phenolic acids
and flavonoids, have been shown to possess many beneficial effects, including antioxidant,
anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, antimutagenic, and anti-inflammatory activities, and the
t0015 TABLE 53.2 Dietary Fiber, Phenolics, and Antioxidants of Date Seeds
*
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Effects of Specific Nuts and Seeds
reduction of cardiovascular disease (Shahidi & Naczk, 2004). Thus, it is important to increase
the antioxidant intake in the human diet, and one way of achieving this is by enriching food
with natural phenolics. As some synthetic antioxidants may exhibit toxicity, have high
manufacturing costs, and have lower efficiency than natural antioxidants (Soong & Barlow,
2004), Al-Farsi and Lee (2008) have developed a technique that enriches the dietary fiber and
phenolic content of date seeds to 93.5 g/100 g and 18.1vg ferulic acid equivalent/100 g,
respectively.
p0055 Date seed oil is edible, but, due to the low extraction rate (w9%), it is not competitive
with other oil crops. The average chemical characteristics of four varieties of date seed oil were:
acid value 1.04, iodine value 49.5, saponification value 221.0, and unsaponifiable matter
0.8%. The major unsaturated fatty acid was oleic acid (42.3%), while the main saturated fatty
acid was lauric (21.8%), followed by linoleic (13.7%), myristic (10.9%), and palmitic (9.6%)
(Devshony et al., 1992). The percentage of un-saturation of Ruzeiz and of Sifri date seed
oils was reported to be 52.49% and 54.52%, respectively, which is considered relatively low.
Date seed oil has lower degree of unsaturation and low content of linoleic acid compared with
the commonly consumed vegetable oils, which has potential for human and animal diets
(Sawaya et al., 1984).
p0060 Seed oils of Deglet Nour and Allig cultivars were compared in terms of phenolic,
tocopherol, and sterol profiles (Besbes et al., 2004). The total phenols ranged from 22.0 to
52.1 mg caffeic acid equivalent/100 g, which is relatively high compared to most edible oils
except for olive oil, which is considered to be a rich source of phenolic compounds in the
Mediterranean diet (Besbes et al., 2004). For example, the total phenolic content in olive oil
has been shown to range from 12.4 to 51.6 mg/100 g (Nissiotis & Tasioula-Margari, 2002).
This may explain the fact that the oxidative stability of date seed oils was higher than that of
most vegetable oils, and comparable to that of olive oil (Besbes et al., 2004). Date seed oil
450 could be also considered as a potential source of natural phenolic compounds, in addition to
their contribution to resistance to oxidative rancidity and their participation in conferring
a specific flavor to the oil (Caponio et al., 1999). Due to the high oxidative stability of date
seed oil, it will be a good ingredient for cosmetic and pharmaceutical products such as
sun-block creams that provide protection against both UV-A and UV-B, which are responsible
for cellular damage (Besbes et al., 2004). a-Tocopherol was found to be the predominant
tocopherol in date seed oils from Deglet Nour (24.97%) and Allig (38.85%) cultivars. The total
sterol content of Deglet Nour and Allig cultivars was 350 and 300 mg/100 g, respectively; the sterol
marker, b-sitosterol, accounted for 83.31 and 78.66% of the total sterols, respectively (Besbes
et al., 2004). These minor components are not only very important for the functional properties of
oils (oxidation resistance, taste, aroma, and color), but could also have many health benefits.
p0065 Several studies have reported the advantages of the incorporation of date seed into animal
diets (Elgasim et al., 1995; Hussein et al., 1998; Ali et al., 1999). Some of these advantages
include increased weight gain, improved feed efficiency, and improved meat palatability.
Adding date seed to the starter and finisher diets improved body weight gain, feed conversion,
and growth performance, comparable to the cornesoybean meal diet of broiler chicks
(Hussein et al., 1998). The results show that date seed can be included at 10% in broiler diets to
support and enhance growth performance (Hussein et al., 1998). Elgasim and colleagues
(1995) found that date seed was effective in increasing body weight gain and the deposition of
back fat in sheep. Ali and colleagues (1999) found that a feeding treatment with normal date
seed (7e14%) significantly increased the testosterone in plasma, and the body weight of rats.
The protein of date seeds has a higher concentration of lysine, which is often the limiting
amino acid in diets based on cereals (Sawaya et al., 1984). Thus date seed can be used to
replace some of the expensive vegetable proteins in livestock or poultry feed.
p0070 However, feed value is not only determined by composition, but also by the accessibility and
digestibility of the components. The hard structure of date seeds is a real obstacle to
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Usage of Date Seeds
optimizing the feed value, although it is also claimed that seeds are an excellent
source of slow-release energy for camels during long desert journeys. Traditionally, date
seeds were soaked in water before they were fed to ruminants. Date seeds submerged in
water for 72 hours will gain 25% in weight, which may increase to 50% after a week
(Zaid, 2002).
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Besbes, S., Blecker, C., Deroanne, C., Bahloul, N., Lognay, G., Drira, N., et al. (2004). Phenolic, tocopherol and
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