Date Components as Promising Plant-Based Materials to Be Incorporated into Baked Goods—A Review

Date (Phoenix dactylifera L. Arecaceae) fruits and their by-products are rich in nutrients. The health benefits of dates and their incorporation into value-added products have been widely studied. The date-processing industry faces a significant sustainability challenge as more than 10% (w/w) of the production is discarded as waste or by-products. Currently, food scientists are focusing on bakery product fortification with functional food ingredients due to the high demand for nutritious food with more convenience. Utilizing date components in value-added bakery products is a trending research area with increasing attention. Studies where the researchers tried to improve the quality of bakery goods by incorporating date components have shown positive results, with several drawbacks that need attention and further research. The objective of this review is to present a comprehensive overview of the utilization of date components in bakery products and to identify gaps in the current knowledge. This review will help focus further research in the area of valorization of date by-products and thereby contribute to the generation of novel functional bakery products that meet consumer expectations and industry standards, thus generating income for the relevant industry and considerable alleviation of the environmental burden this waste and by-products contribute to. Only a few studies have been focused on utilizing date by-products and their extracts for baked goods, while a research area still remaining under-explored is the effect of incorporation of date components on the shelf life of bakery products.

Evaluation of some nutritional quality criteria of seventeen Moroccan dates varieties and clones, fruits of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

Date fruit is known to be the staple food in the Arab countries. It provides a lot of potential health benefits and can be the essential source of nutrients. The majority of Moroccan varieties are not characterized for their chemical, biochemical and quality properties. The aim of this work was to assess the chemical composition of 17 varieties of Moroccan date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.) and to determine their nutritive components. The analysis showed that the dates are rich in sugars (51.80-87.98%), they contain low concentration of proteins (1.09-2.80%) and lipids (0.16-0.39%). The predominant mineral is potassium (1055.26-1604.10 mg/100 g DW). Moreover, they contain high concentrations of malic acid (69.48-495.58 mg/100 g (DW)), oxalic acid (18.47-233.35 mg/100 g DW) and tartaric acid (115.70-484.168 mg/100 g DW). These results suggest that the date fruit are nutritious and can be an excellent source for human nutrition and health benefits.

In vitro antibacterial activities of silver nanoparticles synthesised using the seed extracts of three varieties of Phoenix dactylifera

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is an ecofriendly, cost-effective and promising approach for discovery of novel therapeutics. The aim of the current work was to biogenic synthesize, characterize AgNPs using seed extracts of three economically important varieties of date palm (Iklas, Irziz and Shishi), and assess their anti-pathogenic bacterial activities. AgNPs were synthesised then characterised using electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared analyses. The bactericidal activities of AgNPs against five different bacterial pathogens, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae, were determined in vitro. In particular, changes in membrane integrity of virulent bacterial strains in response to AgNPs were investigated. Results of lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase activity assays, and measurement of membrane potential revealed that the cytotoxic effects of the AgNPs were mainly centred on the plasma membrane of bacterial cells, leading to loss of its integrity and eventually cell death. In conclusion, green synthesis of AgNPs is an efficient, cost-effective and promising strategy to combat virulent antibiotic-resistant strains.

Nutrient Media Optimization for Date Palm Micropropagation (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

An experimental study was conducted to optimise nutritional media for date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) micropropagation by employing a shoot tip as an explant on basic Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with varied Auxin (IAA, NAA) and Cytokinin (Kinetin and 2ip) concentrations for shoot and root multiplication. The findings of date palm regeneration on basal MS medium (Control) without Kinetin and IAA indicated a decreased survival rate (5.0%) and no root or shoot up to the end of the experiment. When the basal MS medium having different Kinetin and IAA concentrations showed an increased rate of survival, i.e. basal MS +0.5 mg/L of Kinetin and 0.0 IAA (8.0%), MS basal+1.0 mg/L of Kinetin and 0.5 IAA (6.6) and basal MS +2.0 mg/L of Kinetin and 1.5 IAA (7.0) and basal MS contains 1.5 mg/L of Kinetin and 1.0 IAA resulted in highest survival rate (8.8%). However, the highest number of shoots (2.2) and a maximum length of shoots (8.8 cm) were recorded on basal MS medium containing 2.0 mg/L of Kinetin and 1.5 IAA. Moreover, the highest number of roots (3.34) and measured the maximum length of roots (3.56 cm) was achieved on basal MS media containing 1.0 NAA and 1.5 mg/L of 2ip.

BIODIVERSITY OF TREES AND SHRUBS OF URBAN PLANTATIONS IN ARID REGIONS

Trees and shrubs are essential components in the production of ecosystem services. The aim of this study is to evaluate the biodiversity of plantations in arid regions. A floristic inventory was carried out in three biotopes using an exhaustive sampling approach. Diversity parameters were calculated to assess phytodiversity in each biotope. A total of 23 plants species belonging to 17 families, with a dominance of eudicots at 95.65% were recorded. The dominant families were Fabaceae (17.38%), Arecaceae, Lythraceae and Tamaricaceae (8.69%). The flora was mixed with 56.52% of exotic plant species. The most predominant plant species were Phoenix dactylifera L, Tamarix aphylla (L.) H. Karst, Dodonaea viscosa (L.) Jacq, and Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit, these species accounted for 72.74% of all individuals inventoried. Shannon’s diversity index and Piélou index of evenness range from 2.68 to 2.95 bits and 0.64 to 0.69, respectively. Simpson’s index range from 0.78 to 0.82. Hamming distance range from 21 to 43. Plantations provide ecosystem services with great importance on ornamental interest. The data collected in this study should be used for creating a floristic database. This database will be regularly updated for monitoring urban plantations. The information resulting from the monitoring will help to improve the urban forest management projects in the development plan.

SYNERGISM TEST OF DATE (PHOENIX DACTYLIFERA L.) AND RAW TEMPE ON ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY

Introduction: Dates and tempeh are foods that both contain antioxidant compounds. Antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids and isoflavones are known to be found in dates and tempeh. This study was conducted to see how much antioxidant activity contained in dates and tempeh and how the effect of dates and tempeh consumed simultaneously on the increase in total antioxidant activity. Method: This study uses a direct experimental design with prospective data collection. The selected samples were dates with the type of sukkari and tempeh wrapped in plastic. Data processing was carried out using a simple linear regression statistical method. Results: The DPPH test method with UV-Visible Spectrophotometry instrument showed the results of the % inhibition value of dates fruit of 39.99% and tempeh of 24.52%. Testing the synergistic effect using 7 treatments showed that the treatment with a ratio of 50:50 had a higher % inhibition value than the other treatments, which showed that consuming dates and tempeh in a ratio of 50:50 could provide a synergistic effect on antioxidant activity. Conclusion The results obtained indicate that both samples, both dates and tempeh have high antioxidant activity, consuming both simultaneously can increase antioxidant activity. So it can be concluded that there is an effect on the synergistic effect of antioxidant activity of dates and tempeh which are consumed simultaneously. It is recommended to conduct research on the antioxidant activity of dates and tempeh using other test methods, and further research on the formulation of the preparation or clinical trials using mice.

ESPÉCIES BOTÂNICAS EXÓTICAS PRESENTES EM PARNAÍBA-PI

Introdução: Parnaíba encontra-se no extremo norte piauiense, na Faixa Litorânea e na Zona da Mata, uma área de transição entre Cerrado e Caatinga, sob influência Amazônica e do Oceano Atlântico. O município tem 436.907 km2 e população estimada em 153.863 habitantes. Estão presentes várias fitofisionomias: praias, dunas, restingas, tabuleiros litorâneos, brejos e manguezais, associados a uma rica biodiversidade. Apesar disso, é comum encontrar árvores e palmeiras exóticas na composição urbana, muitas das quais apresentam boas adaptabilidade e alta capacidade de multiplicação, o que as torna potencialmente invasoras. Objetivos: Identificar arbustos, árvores e palmeiras exóticas em Parnaíba-PI. Material e métodos: Visitas de campo em amostras das fitofisionomias presentes, e nas principais avenidas da zona urbana, de março a setembro de 2021, associadas a estudo bibliográfico. Resultados: As espécies identificadas foram Nim (Azadirachta indica), Algaroba (Prosopis juliflora), Tamarindeiro (Tamarindus indica), Mangueira (Magnifera indica), Jamelão (Syzygium cumini), Moringa (Moringa oleifera), Casuarina (Casuarina equisetifolia), Casatanhola (Terminalia catappa), Tamareira (Phoenix dactylifera), Palmeira Imperial (Roystonea oleracea), Leucena (Leucaena leucocephala), Eucalipto (Eucalyptus sp.), Jambo-vermelho (Syzygium malaccensis), Coqueiro (Cocos nucifera), Chichá-fedorento (Sterculia foetida), Baobá (Adansonia digitata), Flamboyant (Delonix regia), Mamona (Ricinus communis), Algodão-de-seda (Calotropis procera) e Jaqueira (Artocapus heterophyllus). Conclusão: A substituição de plantas nativas por exóticas, além de uniformizar as paisagens e provocar alterações ecológicas e culturais, é uma das causas da perda de biodiversidade no mundo. O Nim possui azadiractina em seu pólen, tóxico para as abelhas, o que pode provocar alterações populacionais desses polinizadores e prejudicar a manutenção do ecossistema e produção agrícola. Assim como outras plantas exóticas, o Nim possui frutos atrativos para a fauna, o que faz com que seja disperso rapidamente, tornando-se invasor. Deve-se evitar o uso de plantas exóticas e focar no uso de plantas nativas, prezando pela variedade biológica e genética, para maximizar os serviços ecossistêmicos e a sucessão ecológica, além de criar memória afetiva com a população e um banco urbano de sementes nativas.