Effect of Four Pollinating Sources on Nutritional Properties of Medjool Date ( Phoenix dactylifera L.) Seeds

Ricardo Salomón-Torres, Jesús Arturo Sol-Uribe, Benjamín Valdez-Salas, Conrado García-González, Robert Krueger, Daniel Hernández-Balbuena, Susana Norzagaray-Plasencia, Juan Pablo García-Vázquez and Noé Ortiz-Uribe
Additional contact information
Ricardo Salomón-Torres: Departamento de Posgrado, Universidad Estatal de Sonora, San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora 83500, Mexico
Jesús Arturo Sol-Uribe: Departamento de Posgrado, Universidad Estatal de Sonora, San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora 83500, Mexico
Benjamín Valdez-Salas: Laboratorio de Materiales Avanzados, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexicali, Baja California 21100, Mexico
Conrado García-González: Laboratorio de Procesos Industriales, Universidad Autónoma de Baja, California Mexicali, Baja California 21100, Mexico
Robert Krueger: USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus and Dates, Riverside, CA 92507, USA
Daniel Hernández-Balbuena: Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexicali, Baja California 21100, Mexico
Susana Norzagaray-Plasencia: Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexicali, Baja California 21100, Mexico
Juan Pablo García-Vázquez: Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexicali, Baja California 21100, Mexico
Noé Ortiz-Uribe: Departamento de Posgrado, Universidad Estatal de Sonora, San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora 83500, Mexico

Agriculture, 2020, vol. 10, issue 2, 1-13

Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pollen source on the nutritional composition of seeds of the ‘Medjool’ date ( Phoenix dactylifera L.) under conditions of northwest Mexico. The content of nutrients (protein, lipids, fiber, and ash), sugars (total, reducing, and non-reducing), and most abundant minerals, were evaluated, as well as antioxidant activities. The pollen of four cultivars (‘Deglet Noor’, ‘Khadrawy’, ‘Medjool’, and ‘Zahidi’) was selected. Four groups of three bunches were pollinated in each of the female palms. For the four treatments, the following ranges were obtained: Seeds had a weight of 1.32–1.41 g and low concentrations of protein (4.44–5.49 g/100 g) and lipids (9.62–10.19 g/100 g). The content of dietary fiber and ash was 59.65–72.59 g/100 g and 1.09–1.42 g/100 g, respectively. Total sugars content was 4.50–6.96 g/100 g, while the insoluble solids were 92.21–96.03 g/100 g. The predominant mineral was potassium with 399.97–459.79 mg/100 g dry weight, followed by sulfur with 135.51–162.67 mg/100 g dry weight. Finally, for antioxidant activities, DPPH (2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) assay results were 0.0014–0.0094 IC 50 g/L and 0.176–0.299 IC 50 g/L, respectively. The pollen sources had an effect on the physicochemical properties of the seeds of the ‘Medjool’ cultivar date. However, some of the parameters (diameter, total acidity, pH) did not show statistically significant differences. The pollen sources from the ‘Khadrawy’ and ‘Medjool’ cultivars were the ones that induced differences in physical, proximate, and nutritional parameters, while pollen from the ‘Zahidi’ source induced the largest differences for minerals. The results suggest that selection of the source of pollen has a significant effect on the nutritional properties of the date seed from the cultivar ‘Medjool’, and that its use could be feasible as a functional food or by-product of the date production.

Keywords: date palm; Phoenix dactylifera L.; medjool; date seed; pollination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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