Abstract
The acid value of date seed oils were determined between 1.09mgKOH/g (Taleese) and 1.44mgKOH/g (Ghars). Iodine values of oil samples changed between 67.18gI(2)/100g (Allig) and 71.23gI(2)/100g (Deglet Nur) (p<.05). Oleic, linoleic, lauric, palmitic, myristic and stearic acids were the key fatty acids of date seed oils. Among fatty acids determined, oleic was the predominant fatty acid (39.7-49.7), followed by lauric (9.7-24.6%), myristic (7.3-12.8%), palmitic (7.8-14.2%), linoleic (6.2-17.3%) and stearic acids (1.3-4.9%) (p<.05). The predominant tocopherol was -tocotrienol (31.76-37.41mg/100g oil), followed by ?-tocopherol (7.61-11.84mg/100g), ?-tocotrienol (4.27-8.47mg/100g oil), -tocopherol (1.13-2.81mg/100g), and -tocopherol (0.69-1.33mg/100g oil) (p<.05). While gallic acid contents of date seeds change between 2.43 (Boufgous) and 6.91 (Dore), syringic acid contents changed between 1.28 (Talees) and 4.86 (Adwi) (p<.05). In addition, catechin contents of date seeds changed between 2.86 (Dora) and 7.23 (Ghars).
Practical applicationsDate is an important plant in some countries. Date seed is a waste product of many date products such as pitted dates, date powders, date syrup, date juice, and date confectionery. The ground and roasted seeds are used as plain or mixed with coffee. In addition, date seeds are used for animal feed in the cattle, fish, sheep, camel, and poultry industries. Also, the date and their derivatives are rich in nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and medicine.