Physico-chemical Characterization, Classification and Quality Evaluation of Date Palm Fruits of some Moroccan Cultivars

Fourteen native date cultivars from different oases and regions of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria were examined for their approximate composition, water activity, and CIELAB parameters. Sugars were the predominant component in all studied date cultivars (~ 54.14 - 75.56 g/100g dry matter), followed by moisture content (~7.2 - 31.9%), along with small amount of protein (~1.9 - 3.3g/100g dry matter), fat (~ 0.1 - 0.44g/100g dry matter), and ash (~1.88 - 3.45g/100 g dry matter). Dates with early maturity had the highest water activity (0.78 - 0.87) in contrast to late maturing dates cultivars. In the Deglet Nour (Tunisia) and Aziza bouzid (Morocco) cultivars, sucrose is dominant, whereas, the majority of other cultivars were rich in fructose and glucose in…