Reducing sugars, organic acids, size, color, and texture of 21 Emirati date fruit varieties (Phoenix dactylifera, L.)

In this study, the variability in 23 physicochemical properties related to fruit size, color, texture, and taste (sugars and organic aids) was investigated in 21 date varieties grown in UAE. The results revealed extensive variation with some traits displaying high coefficient of variations, e.g. fruit and flesh weights (33.0% and 35.8%), red/green and yellow/blue colors (43.3% and 55.6%), organic acids (31.7-40.5%), and texture profile variables (hardness cycles 1 and 2, adhesive force, fracturability, and springiness, 27.0-68.6%). Total reducing sugars, being the main components in date fruits varied 52.1-62.8 g/100 g fruit weight with smaller variation between cultivars (6.2%). The variability observed here for the date fruits is complex and deserves more elaborate studies focussing on the link between physicochemical parameters and other chemical components especially moisture, fibers, and phenolic compounds and other pigments.