Quantification of water soluble vitamins in six date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivar's fruits growing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, through high performance liquid chromatography

In present investigation, a comparative analysis of water soluble vitamins viz., B1 (thiamine HCl), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinamide), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine HCl), B9 (folic acid), B12 (cyanocobalamin) was carried out in fruits (immature, semimature and mature) of six date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars (“Barhee”, “Khalasah”, “Muzati”, “Shishi”, “Zart”, “Zardai”) growing in United Arab Emirates (UAE) by high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC). The fruits were collected at three developing stages (immature, semimature and mature). Quantitative analysis of water soluble vitamins yield showed a significant variation within the different cultivars and the developing stages of date palm fruit. Vitamin B1, B3, B5, B6 were maximum (μg/100 g f.w.) in “Shishi”, “Zardai”, “Shishi” and “Muzati” at their matured stage, however, vitamin B2, B9, B12 were detected in immature fruit of “Khalasah”, “Khalasah” and “Shishi” cultivars. The vitamin production in fruits of different date palm cultivars was, therefore, developing stage specific and cultivar dependent. The present study showed that the date palm fruit could be used for human consumption with value addition of water soluble vitamins at their specific developmental stages.