Skip to main content
View expanded cover

Functional Properties of Traditional Foods pp 233–240Cite as

Antioxidant Properties and Health Benefits of Date Seeds

Part of the Integrating Food Science and Engineering Knowledge Into the Food Chain book series (ISEKI-Food,volume 12)

Abstract

For thousands of years, the fruits (dates) of the date palm were consumed as staple food and believed to have remarkable nutritional, health, and economic value. Recent studies indicate that date seeds too contain significant amounts of beneficial food ingredients such as oleic acid, dietary fibers, and polyphenols. These compounds have been associated with reduced incidence of cardiovascular diseases and improved overall well-being. Date seeds have been lately exploited for production of foods such as bread and hot beverages without impairment to sensory characteristics. This review focuses on the antioxidant properties and health benefits of date seeds and describes a coffee-substitute drink based on date seeds. Using an undesired by-product of the date industry as a raw material for functional foods has great economic potential and is thus expected to grow in the coming years.

Keywords

  • Date seeds
  • Antioxidants
  • Coffee substitutes
  • Polyphenols

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4899-7662-8_16
  • Chapter length: 8 pages
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
eBook
USD   109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • ISBN: 978-1-4899-7662-8
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
Softcover Book
USD   149.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Hardcover Book
USD   219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Al Juhaimi F, Ghafoor K, Ozcan MM (2012) Physical and chemical properties, antioxidant activity, total phenol and mineral profile of seeds of seven different date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.) varieties. Int J Food Sci Nutr 63:84–89

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Farsi MA, Lee CY (2008a) Nutritional and functional properties of dates: a review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 48:877–887

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Farsi MA, Lee CY (2008b) Optimization of phenolics and dietary fibre extraction from date seeds. Food Chem 108:977–985

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Farsi MA, Alasalvar C, Al-Abid M, Al-Shoaily K, Al-Amry M, Al-Rawahy F (2007) Compositional and functional characteristics of dates, syrups, and their by-products. Food Chem 104:943–947

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Almana HA, Mahmoud RM (1994) Palm date seeds as an alternative source of dietary fiber in Saudi bread. Ecol Food Nutr 32:261–270

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Shahib W, Marshall RJ (2003) The fruit of the date palm: its possible use as the best food for the future? Int J Food Sci Nutr 54:247–259

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Ben Abdallah F, Dammak I, Mallek Z, Attia H, Hentati B, Ammar-Keskes L (2009) Effects of date seed oil on testicular antioxidant enzymes and epididymal sperm characteristics in male mice. Andrologia 41:229–234

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Ben Abdullah F, Chakroun FN, Dammak I, Attia H, Hentati B, Ammar-Keskes L (2009) Sperm quality improvement after date seed oil in vitro supplementation in spontaneous and induced oxidative stress. Asian J Androl 11:393–398

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Besbes S, Blecker C, Deroanne C, Bahloul N, Lognay G, Drira N-E, Attia H (2004a) Date seed oil: phenolic, tocopherol and sterol profiles. J Food Lipids 11:251–265

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Besbes S, Blecker C, Deroanne C, Drira N, Attia H (2004b) Date seeds: chemical composition and characteristic profiles of the lipid fraction. Food Chem 84:577–584

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Crozier A, Jaganath IB, Clifford MN (2009) Dietary phenolics: chemistry, bioavailability and effects on health. Nat Prod Rep 26:1001–1043

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Dammak I, Boudaya S, Ben Abdallah F, Besbes S, Attia H, Turki H, Hentati B (2010) Date seed oil inhibits hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in human epidermal keratinocytes. Int J Dermatol 49:262–268

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Devshony S, Eteshola E, Shani A (1992) Characteristics and some potential applications of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seeds and seed oil. J Am Oil Chem Soc 69:595–597

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • El-Juhany LI (2010) Degradation of date palm trees and date production in Arab countries: causes and potential rehabilitation. Aust J Basic Appl Sci 4:3998–4010

    Google Scholar 

  • FAOSTAT (2010) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. http://faostat.fao.org/. Accessed on August 5, 2011

  • Fernandez-Panchon MS, Villano D, Troncoso AM, Garcia-Parrilla MC (2008) Antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds: from in vitro results to in vivo evidence. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 48:649–671

    Google Scholar 

  • Habib HM, Ibrahim WH (2011) Effect of date seeds on oxidative damage and antioxidant status in vivo. J Sci Food Agric 91:1674–1679

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Hamada JS, Hashimb IB, Sharif FA (2002) Preliminary analysis and potential uses of date pits in foods. Food Chem 76:135–137

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Hong Y, Tomas-Barberan F, Kader A, Mitchell A (2006) The flavonoid glycosides and procyanidin composition of Deglet Noor dates (Phoenix dactylifera). J Agric Food Chem 54:2405–2411

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Manach C, Scalbert A, Morand C, Remesy C, Jimenez L (2004) Polyphenols: food sources and bioavailability. Am J Clin Nutr 79:727–747

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mansouri A, Embarek G, Kokkalou E, Kefalas P (2005) Phenolic profile and antioxidant activity of the Algerian ripe date palm fruit (Phoenix dactylifera). Food Chem 89:411–420

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Morton JF (1987) Dates. In: Morton JF (ed) Fruits of warm climates. Creative Resource Systems, Inc., Winterville, pp 5–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Nehdi I, Omri S, Khalil MI, Al-Resayes SI (2010) Characteristics and chemical composition of date palm (Phoenix canariensis) seeds and seed oil. Ind Crops Prod 32:360–365

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Prior RL, Wu X, Schaich K (2005) Standardized methods for the determination of antioxidant capacity and phenolics in foods and dietary supplements. J Agric Food Chem 53:4290–4302

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Rahman M, Kasapis S, Al-Kharusi N, Al-Marhubi I, Khan A (2007) Composition characterisation and thermal transition of date pits powders. J Food Eng 80:1–10

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Rock W, Rosenblat M, Borochov-Neori H, Volkova N, Judeinstein S, Elias M, Aviram M (2009) Effects of date (Phoenix dactylifera L., Medjool or Hallawi variety) consumption by healthy subjects on serum glucose and lipid levels and on serum oxidative status: a pilot study. J Agric Food Chem 57:8010–8017

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Saafi EB, Trigui M, Thabet R, Hammami M, Achour L (2008) Common date palm in Tunisia: chemical composition of pulp and pits. Int J Food Sci Technol 43:2033–2037

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Saafi EB, El Arem A, Issaoui M, Hammami M, Achour L (2009) Phenolic content and antioxidant activity of four date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruit varieties grown in Tunisia. Int J Food Sci Technol 44:2314–2319

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Stella SP, Ferrarezi AC, dos Santos KO, Monteiro M (2011) Antioxidant activity of commercial ready-to-drink orange juice and nectar. J Food Sci 76:C392–C397

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Vayalil PK (2002) Antioxidant and antimutagenic properties of aqueous extract of date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L. Arecaceae). J Agric Food Chem 50:610–617

    CAS  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel

    Moran Brouk & Ayelet Fishman

Authors
  1. Moran Brouk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ayelet Fishman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ayelet Fishman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Iceland, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Reykjavík, Iceland

    Kristberg Kristbergsson

  2. Izmir , Turkey, Food Engineering Department Ege Universi, Izmir, Turkey

    Semih Ötles

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Brouk, M., Fishman, A. (2016). Antioxidant Properties and Health Benefits of Date Seeds. In: Kristbergsson, K., Ötles, S. (eds) Functional Properties of Traditional Foods. Integrating Food Science and Engineering Knowledge Into the Food Chain, vol 12. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7662-8_16

Download citation