Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 July 2014
Introduction. The genus Phoenix has 13 species. Dates fromP. dactylifera and P. theophrasti are the only onesthat have been characterised so far. The aim of our study was to evaluate thephysico-chemical and functional characteristics of date fruits in the Khalal and Rutabstages of P. loureiroi, P. canariensis,P. reclinata and P. roebelenii, and compare them withP. dactylifera. Materials and methods. Two samples of15 date fruits in the Khalal stage and another 15 date fruits in the Rutab stage werechosen from each species for analyses and quality parameters. Results anddiscussion. Significant differences in the measured parameters were observedamong the different species. Dates of P. dactylifera were larger thanthose of the other species and had the lowest [seed weight/fruit weight] proportion. Inthe Khalal stage, dates from P. canariensis and P. dactyliferawere yellow, P. loureiroi and P. reclinata weredark yellow to orange, and those of P. roebelenii were brown purple.Dates of P. dactylifera (Rutab stage) showed higher sugar and lowerorganic acid contents than those of the other dates. Dates ofP. reclinata, P. roebelenii andP. canariensis presented values of antioxidant activity and totalphenols in the Khalal stage that were very high compared with those ofP. dactylifera. These species are used as ornamental palms but theirfruits are consumed locally as food. These dates presented high nutritional quality andcan be used as novel foods for different purposes, such as snacks or food fortification,especially due to their high value in functional properties.