COMPARATIVE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF DATE FRUITS VARIETY CULTIVATED IN BANGLADESH WITH DIFFERENT VARIETIES AVAILABLE IN THE MARKET IMPORTED FROM ABROAD

Abstract

The Phoenix dactylifera L. is a monocotyledonous woody perennial belonging to the Arecaceae family. The aim of the study was to determine the chemical composition of dates experimentally cultivated in Bangladesh and dates that are imported from abroad to assess their nutritional composition such as carbohydrate, crude protein, crude fat, ash, sugar contents and amino acid composition. Fruits are rich sources of carbohydrates, dietary fibers, certain essential vitamins and minerals. Date fruit offers a wide range of essential nutrients and potential health benefits. The dates were rich in sugar (68.37–73.83% dry weight), while ash represented 1.58–2.33%; they contained low concentrations of protein and lipid (2.36–3.38% and 0.22–0.57%, respectively). The predominant mineral was potassium (494mg/100g), and the main sugars were glucose and fructose. These results show that dates are nutritious and can play a major role in human nutrition and health. They also serve as a good source of many vitamins, dietary fiber, minerals, phenolics, carotenoids and antioxidants. Nutritional and medicinal activities of date fruit are related to its chemical compositions, mainly phytochemicals. Due to these important functional compounds, dates exhibit various health benefits by preventing various diseases. The experimental date fruits cultivation is a new horizon for the economy of the country as the country spend huge money importing dates fruits every year. If the production comes in optimum level this will lessen our extra money that are spent from abroad. Also it will create our employment as our country is largely populated so we can create our concentration towards date fruits cultivation in our country.