Nutrients depictions of Barhi date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) kernels

Abstract

Phoenix dactylifera L (Date palm) is one of the oldest known fruit crops in the world, and
\nthe consumption of date fruits is no longer restricted to the Middle Eastern countries. Date
\npalm kernels are waste products of date fruit industry which are normally being discarded.
\nBased on their dietary fiber content; date palm kernels (DPK) have been proposed to be used
\nas fiber-based food supplement, caffeine free coffee alternative and animal feed ingredient.
\nHence, utilization of such waste is highly desirable for the date industry. To accommodate these
\nbenefits, and subsequent to some uses associated with DPK, this study sought to investigate the
\nbiochemical and nutritional values of the Barhi date palm kernels (BDPK) grown in Iraq. The
\nresults show that BDPK is an excellent source of dietary fiber (66.24 g/100g). Glutamic acid
\nwas found to be the predominant amino acid, (0.674 g/100g), followed by Arginine and aspartic
\nacid (0.437 g/100g and 0.320 g/100g, respectively). Potassium was the most occurring mineral
\nin BDPK (2.39 g/kg), and the main sugars were sucrose and fructose (0.548 g/100g and 0.249
\ng/100g, respectively). Gas-liquid chromatography revealed that the main unsaturated fatty acid
\n(USFA) was oleic acid (40.927 mg/100g), while the main saturated fatty acid (SFA) were lauric
\nacid (20.270 mg/100g) and myristic acid (12.288 mg/100g). Furthermore, the BDPK depicted
\nconsiderable concentrations of vitamins, in which vitamin B5 (40.4 mg/100g) showed the
\nhighest value. The results obtained indicate a strong potential for BDPK to be used in human
\nnutrition, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical applications and may provide an important economic
\nadvantage through increasing the utilization of BDKP while also additive value will be added
\nto the residue.