Date Fruit

Date fruit

Dates are the fruit of the date palm tree, which is grown in many tropical regions of the world. Dates have become quite popular in recent years. Dates are chewy with a sweet flavor. They are also high in some important nutrients and have a variety of advantages and uses.

The fruit of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is one of the most abundant fruits in the world. Hundreds of varieties having different texture, color, and flavor are available for valorization and adoption in food processing operations. Such utilization should be based on the fruit valuable characteristics; mainly its richness in dietary fiber and phenolic antioxidants.

Here are some benefits of date:

1. Dates are high in fiber, which may be beneficial for preventing constipation and controlling blood sugar control.
2. Dates contain several types of antioxidants that may help prevent the development of certain chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes.
3. Dates contain several vitamins and minerals, in addition to fiber and antioxidants. However, they are high in calories since they are a dried fruit.
4. Dates may be helpful for lowering inflammation and preventing plaques from forming in the brain, which is important for preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
5. Dates may promote and ease natural labor for pregnant women when consumed during the last few weeks of pregnancy.
6. Dates have been claimed to promote bone health and aid in blood sugar control, but these effects have not been studied sufficiently.

all the Date varieties are harvested when all the dates in the bunch or even on the whole palm have less than 20 % water content (of the weight of the fruit). Dates containing more water must be dried (artificially or by the sun) to a level of 16 % to 19 %, to make it possible to preserve them without refrigeration. In this state the fruit has its customary appearance (according to each specific variety), with its characteristic wrinkles and color, ranging from dark brown to light yellow.  farmers have to climb the palm trees and cut the branches of dates and by rope send them down. Then make separate dates fruits from branches.

In recent years Iran is one of the leading Countries in Date production in the world, with annual production of about 900000 metric tons.

The origins of date production and use in Iran go back to about 4000 BC. Today, more than 400 types of date and various kinds of date-based foods are consumed by the Iranian people.

The most common and popular types of date in Iran such as mazafati, zahedi, piyarom, and kabkab were introduced. Also, the popular kinds of date-based products such as date-pilaf, egg-date, and date-pastry were documented. Additionally, the cultural and social aspects of these foods were considered.

Each part of Iran has a suitable climate for producing special sort of dates. Kerman province is the center for three sorts of dates which are Mazafati, Klute and Farehkon. Other provinces like Hormozgan, Khuzestan and Bushehr are suitable for other sorts like Piarom, Sayer, Kabkab and Zahedi. The main areas that produce dates in Iran are Hormozgan 21.6%, Kerman 21.1%, Khusistan 17.6%, Bushehr 13.4%, Beluchestan 12.2%, and Fars 12.3%.