Date

Producers in 2012

We made dates in Murcia.

The date is the fruit obtained from the Phoenix palm tree species, mainly the Phoenix dactylifera species, popularly called palm tree date palm. It is considered a staple food in the Maghreb countries. Its name is derived from the Greek word δακτύλος ("daktilos"), meaning "finger".

The world's largest producers of dates have been Iran and Iraq (until the Gulf War). In California there is an important cultivation of this fruit. There are many varieties, among them: Zahid, Medjool, Kadrawi, the most appreciated is the Sukkari.

Among other phoenix palm species that produce "dates" there is the Phoenix canariensis, whose fruits are locally called támaras; which are smaller and considered of lower quality for the palate.

Properties

Nutritious

Dates provide a wide range of essential nutrients, and are a very good dietary source of potassium. The sugar content in ripe dates is around 80%; the rest is made up of protein, fiber, and trace elements including boron, cobalt, copper, fluorine, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc. The glycemic index of three different varieties of dates are 35.5 (khalas), 49.7 (Barhi) and 30.5 (ma'an bo).

Caffeoic acid, 3-O-caffeoylshikimic acid glycoside (also known as dactylifric acid), and its isomers, are substrates of enzymatic browning found in dates.

It can be eaten as a fresh fruit, stuffed or prepared in jams, puddings, cakes, juices, ice creams, etc.

Medicinals

Dates have a lot of tannin used medicinally as a detersive (cleansing power) and intestinal astringent. As an infusion, decoction, syrup, or paste, dates can be administered for sore throats, colds, bronchial catarrh, and to combat fever.

Production

Main producers of dates (2018) (tonnes)
EgyptEgypt	1.562.171
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia	1.302.859
IranIran	1.204.158
AlgeriaAlgeria	1,094,700
IraqIraq	614.584
PakistanPakistan	471.670
Sudan	440.871
OmanOman	368.808
United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates	345.119
Mexico	241.333
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations▪

Cultivation

Within an oasis, all the strata are mined to take advantage of the fertile soil. Some forms of cultivation, through the conventional farming of dates, can pose health problems. Synthetic fertilizers and phytosanitary products intended for intercropping in the herbaceous and shrubby stratum are also absorbed by date palms and end up in the fruit. Treatment against the date moth, a parasite of dates, is carried out by spraying, often by plane.

Additional bibliography

• E.-L. Bertherand, Le noyau de dattes au point de vue des propriétés alimentaires, thérapeutiques et industrielles notamment de la falsification du caféP. Fontana, 1882 (in French)
• Guillaume Crouzet, « La délicate datte "Mejhoul" », Le Monde, 29 mai 2002 (in French)
• Jean-Henri Fabre, Un voyage au pays des dattes: monographie du palmier-dattier dans l'extrême-sud constantinois avec quelques considérations économiques sur la maturation artificielle des dattes, B. Sirven, 1920 (in French)
• N. Kechaou, M. Bagane, M. Maalej et C. Kapseu, « Approche empirique de la cinétique du séchage des dattes » Sciences des aliments1996, vol. 16, n° 6, p. 593-606 (in French)
• Odette du Puigaudeau, The big foire des dattes. Adrar mauritanien (avec 61 photographies de l'auteur, 1 dessin et 2 cartes), Plon, 1937 (in French)
• I. Booij, G. Piombo, A. M. Risterucci, M. Coupé, D. Thomas et M. Ferry, « Étude de la composition chimique de dattes à différents stades de maturité pour la caractérisation variétale de divers cultivars de dattier (Phoenix dactylifera L.) », Fruits, 1992, n° 47 (6), p. 667-678. (in French)
• BELARBI, A. BOUAYAD, A.; DIAOU, M.; KAASSIS, N. and TIDJANI MALIKI M. 2004. Agro-biodiversité et durabilité des systèmes de production oasiens dans la palmeraie d’Aoufouss Errachidia – Maroc, expertise, ICRA, IPGRI, INRA-Maroc, C.R.A-Errachidia, ORMVA, 121, 160p. (in French)
• BELARBI, A.; AYMARD, Ch. and HEBERT, J.-P. 2004. Deglet-Noor dates polyphenol-oxidase: peculiar aspects of the thermal inactivation kinetics. Food Biotechnology.17 (3), 193-202.
• BELARBI, A. 2001. "Stabilisation par séchage et qualité de la datte Deglet-Nour". Thèse, Génie des Procédés, ENSIA - Massy, France, 186p. (in French)
• BELARBI, A.; AYMARD CH. and HEBERT J.P. 2001. Evolution of deglet-noor date quality on it heat treatments. I – color, II – texture. Second International Conference on Date Palms (Al-Ain, UAE, March 25-27, 2001). 861. (in French)
• BELARBI, A.; AYMARD CH. and MEOT, J.M. 2001. A "true" bicompartimental model for dates thin-layer drying kinetics. Second International Conference on Date Palms (Al-Ain, UAE, March 25-27, 2001). 862. (in French)
• BELARBI, A.; AYMARD CH. and HEBERT J.P. 2001. Points of caution in studying heat inactivation of enzymes, exemplified by the polyphenoloxidase from the deglet-nour date (Phoenix dactylifera L.). Second International Conference on Date Palms (Al-Ain, UAE, March 25-27, 2001). 863. (in French)
• BELARBI, A.; AYMARD, Ch.; MEOT, J.M.; THEMELIN A. AND REYNES M. 2000. Water desorption isotherms for eleven varieties of dates. Journal of Food Engineering, 43 (2), 103-107. (in French)
• BELARBI, A.; AYMARD, Ch. and HEBERT, J.-P. 2000. Évolution de la qualité de la datte Deglet-Nour lors de traitements thermiques. I – Couleur, poster, Rencontres du 12/09/00, GPSA- Montpellier, France. (in French)
• BELARBI, A.; AYMARD, Ch. and HEBERT, J.-P. 2000. Évolution de la qualité de la datte Deglet-Nour lors de traitements thermiques. II – Texture, poster, Rencontres du 12/09/00, GPSA- Montpellier, France. (in French)
• BELARBI, A. 1999. Intérêt des méthodologies appropriées d’étude cinétique et analyse de données: cas de l ’inactivation thermique de la polyphénoloxydase de la datte Deglet-Nour, poster, La science en fête, du 21 au 23 octobre 1999, Montpellier, France. (in French)