Date Fruit and Its By-products as Promising Source of Bioactive Components: A Review
Noemí Echegaray, Beatriz Gullón, Mirian Pateiro, Ryszard Amarowicz, Jane Misihairabgwi, José M. Lorenzo
Abstract
Date palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera) has traditionally been grown in South-West Asia and North Africa, principally for date fruit consumption. Nevertheless, its cultivation has recently spread to other areas of America, sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania and Southern Europe. During date fruit processing, several by-products are generated, like low-quality dates, pits, leaves and pollen. These wastes, together with the date fruit, constitute an important source of biocomponents such as hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acids, flavonoids, tannins, carotenoids, tocopherols, tocotrienols, phytosterols and phytoestrogens. This review provides detailed information about the sensory properties, nutritional profile and biocompounds with health-promoting properties present in date fruit and its by-products. Furthermore, recent findings regarding the potential of these products to develop new functional foodstuffs was also highlighted. Several studies have reported that the date fruit and its by-products present an outstanding richness in bioactive compounds with potential healthy properties that make them suitable to be used as nutraceutical ingredients in several foodstuffs. Their incorporation in the formulation of foods would contribute to cover the increasing demand of consumers by products elaborated with natural ingredients. Moreover, an important aspect to take into account is that food matrixes are an excellent vehicle for the availability of biomolecules present in the date palm products.