Functional composition and antioxidant activities of eight Moroccan date fruit varieties (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

The aim of this study was to determine the functional composition and antioxidant activities of eight major date fruit varieties grown in Morocco. The analysis shows that date fruit contains a high amount of sugar (66.03-83.05% DW) but a low content of fat (0.218-0.363% DW) and protein (2.2-3.45% DW). Among the eight studied minerals potassium, calcium and magnesium were the predominant. Moreover, the niacin is the major B vitamin of all analyzed varieties. The total phenolic content was found between 331.86 and 537.07 mg GAE/100 g DW, the flavonoid between 68.88 and 208.53 mg of RE/100 g DW and condensed tannins between 57.56 and 92.141 mg CE/100 g DW, the antioxidant activity ranged between 383.90 and 846.94 μmol TE/100 g DW for ABTS, 6.255 and 2.046 g of date/l for DPPHIC50 and 406.614 and 860.89 μmol TE/100 g DW for FRAP assays. The results suggest that date fruit, which is good source of vital nutrients and antioxidant, is an extensive and varied field.