Dates Nutrient Composition

The water content in dates decreases as they are ripened. The average water content of dates are 83.6%, 65.9%, 43% and 24.2% in the ‘Kimri’ stage, ‘Khalal’ stage, ‘Rutab’ stage and ‘Tamr’ stage respectively. 

The taste of date is sweet. It shows the high concentration of sugar is the main component of the date. The sugar in date is in the form of glucose, fructose, mannose, sucrose, cellulose and starch. These sugars will be the main source of energy. The sugar concentration in every stage of date’s development is different. The concentrations in ‘Kimri’, ‘Khalal’, ‘Rutab’ and ‘Tamr’ are 3.4-7.7%, 18.8-31.9%, 43.9-50.1% and 44.3-64.1% respectively. The increasing sugar concentration from stage one to stage four is related to the decreasing of water content. 

The date also has fatty acids including saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Although there are many fatty acids from seed, people do not eat seed unless the seed change into oil. Here is the list of fatty acids content in 100g of date’s flesh.

Lauric acid (0.6-5.4g)

Myristic acid (0.3-2.3g)

Palmitic acid (1.7-1.8g)

Margaric acid (0.01g)

Stearic aicd (0.3-0.7g)

Arachidic acid (0.01g)

Oleic acid (3.2-5.1g)

Linoleic acids (0.7-0.8g)

Dates have higher percentage of protein than other type of fruits which is 5.6%. According to RNI Malaysia, 5 whole dried dates consist of 1.3g of protein. Almost all types of amino acids can be found in date’s flesh. Aspartic acid, threonine, serine, glutamic acid, proline, glycine and alanine can be found in almost all dates.

Dates also have vitamins. It includes vitamin C, folic acids, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine and vitamin A. Fiber also can be found in dates. Dates contain 0.5-3.9% of pectin which has functional properties to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes as well as reduce the cholesterol level. Other fibers are hemicelluloses, cellulose and lignin. Many minerals can be found in dates. Fluorine and selenium in dates can protect tooth decay and prevent cancer formation respectively. Other minerals such as potassium, boron, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, sodium and zinc are also presented in dates. According RNI Malaysia, 5 whole dried dates consist of 29mg calcium, 32mg phosphorus, 0.4mg iron, 2mg sodium and 280mg potassium. Boron had been reported to act against brain cancer. Iron from dates also can act as iron tablets with no side effects for people who suffer iron deficiency. Dates are considered as low cost food but they are very rich in nutrition. The vitamins and minerals from dates can provide health benefits to human.

Reference:

International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition (2003)