Journal of food science and technology(Iran)

Journal of food science and technology(Iran)

Role of date seed powder in maintaining the quality and nutritional value of the jujube fruits during storage

Document Type : Original Article

Author
zainab amin
university of Busrah
10.48311/fsct.2026.118214.83006
Abstract
This study was conducted on jujube fruits at the maturity stage of the Tuffahi and Malasi cultivars, obtained from a private farmer in the Hamdan region, Abu Al-Khaseeb district, South of Basra, on October 5, 2024. The fruits were transferred to the Laboratory of Food Sciences Department, where they were washed with distilled water to remove dirt and dust. Small, damaged fruits were discarded. Then treated with three concentrations of date seed powder (0, 10, and 20) %, after that fruits were packed in 250 g containers, and stored in a refrigerated incubator at 4°C for eight weeks. The results showed that the 20% date seed powder treatment was superior to the other treatments in reducing decay and weight loss, improving flavor, appearance, and increasing the active substances in the fruits, in comparison, the 10% concentration exceeded the other treatments in increasing the percentage of acidity and total soluble solids. Tuffahi CV. outperformed the Malasi one in most of the studied characteristics. Results also showed an increase in the percentages of decay, weight loss, and total soluble solids, with a decrease in the total acidity, as increasing the storage period.
Keywords
date seed
Sidr fruit
storage
nutritional value
Subjects

[1] El Maaiden, E., El Kharrassi, Y., Qarah, N. A., Essamadi, A. K., Moustaid, K., & Nasser, B. 2020. Genus Ziziphus: A comprehensive review on ethnopharmacological, phytochemical and pharmacological properties. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 259, 112950. ‏doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.112950

[2] Meriem, T., 2024. A review on phytopharmacological properties of five jujube species. Ziziphus sativa, Z. mauritiana, Z. mucronata, Z. lotus, pp.2836-2322. doi.org/10.58489/2836-2322/028.

[3] Hzaa, A.Y.L., Alkanan, I.M. and Sahib, M.R., 2023. Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Five Cultivars of Ziziphus spp. Cultivated in Southern Iraq.

[4] A Elanany, A. and Salem, A., 2024. Biological and technological evaluation of sidr (Ziziphus spina Christi L.) based on high fat diet as an antihyperlipidemic effect. Food Technology Research Journal, 3(2), pp.94-106. doi: 10.21608/ftrj.2024.274607.1061.

[5] Fukalova Fukalova, T., García-Martínez, M. D., Esteve Ciudad, P., & Raigón Jiménez, M. D. 2023. The Effects of Low-Input (Wild and Organic Farming) Conditions on the Nutritional Profile of Ziziphus jujuba Mill. Fruits from the Valencian Mediterranean. Sustainability, 15(19), 14587.‏doi:10.3390/su151914587.

 [6] Pandey, J., Gaire, S., Sharma, K., Pun, D., Gyawali, A., Lamichhane, G., and Devkota, H. P. 2023. Exploring the potentials of Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. seed kernel oil as pharmaceutical oil base: Physicochemical characterization and ketoconazole soap formulation. Heliyon, 9(11). doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21034.

[7] Shareef, Sara H.M. 2025. Study the active compounds of Barhi date seed extracts. Euphrates Journal of Agricultural Science-17 (1):1074-1085.

[8] Kiesler, R., Franke, H., and Lachenmeier, D. W. 2024. A comprehensive review of the nutritional composition and toxicological profile of date seed coffee (Phoenix dactylifera). Applied Sciences, 14(6), 2346. ‏doi.org/10.3390/app14062346.

[9] Alkhoori, M.A., Kong, A.S.Y., Aljaafari, M.N., Abushelaibi, A., Erin Lim, S.H., Cheng, W.H., Chong, C.M. and Lai, K.S., 2022. Biochemical composition and biological activities of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seeds: A review. Biomolecules, 12(11), p.1626. doi: 10.3390/biom12111626.

[10] Umeohia, U.E. and Olapade, A.A., 2024. Physiological processes affecting postharvest quality of fresh fruits and vegetables. Asian Food Sci. J, 23(4), p.115915. DOI:10.9734/AFSJ/2024/v23i4706.

[11] Hamza, H.A., Majeed, E.R., Taain, D.A. and Hamzah, I.I., 2024. Effect of ozone treatment and storage temperature on the storage ability of date palm fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cv. Medjool. Annals of the Faculty of Engineering Hunedoara-International Journal of Engineering, 22(1).

[12] Kim, J.E., Kim, M.A., Kim, J.S., Park, D.C. and Lee, S.P., 2013. Enhancing the organoleptic and functional properties of jujube by a quick aging process. Preventive nutrition and food science, 18(1), p.50.doi: 10.3746/pnf.2013.18.1.050.

[13] Howrtiz W. Official Methods of Analysis. 16th edition. Association of Official Analytical

          Chemists. Washington, DC, USA; 1995.

[14] A.O.A.C. (1980). Association of the Official Analytical Chemists, Methods of analysis 13th ed. Washington, d.c. U.S.A.

[15] Hurwitz, W. (1975). Official Methods of Analysis. Association of official Analytical chemists, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

[16] Stahl, E. 1969. Apparatus and general techniques. In: Stahl, E., Ed., TLC in thin layer chromatography: A Laboratory Handbook, 2nd Edition, Springer-Verlag, New York.

[17] Guenther, E. S. (1972). Essential oils. R. E. Krieger Publishing Company,    Hunting on, New York, PP, 18-87 U.S.A.

[18] Al-Rawi KM, Khalaf Allah AM. Design and analysis of agricultural experiments. El Mousel Univ, Iraq. 1980; 19:487.

[19] Ribeiro, C., Vicente, A.A., Teixeira, J.A. and Miranda, C. (2007). Optimization of edible coating composition to retard strawberry fruit senescence. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 44: 63–70.

[20] Pareek, O.P. 2001. Ber. International Centre for underutilized crops, Southampton, UK.

[21] Kitinoja, L. and Kader, A. A. 2002. Small-scale post-harvest handling practices: A manual for horticulture crops (4thedition). Post-harvest Horticulture series No 8 a University of California, Davis, Post-harvest Technology Research and Information Center U. S. A.

[22] Tembo,L.; Z. A. Chiteka; I. Kadzere; F. K. Akinnifesi and F. Tagwira 2008. Storage temperature affects fruit quality attributes of Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.) in Zimbabwe. African Journal of Biotechnology 7(8):3092-3099.

[23] Shahi, M; Rastegar, S and Khankahdani,H,H., 2015. Effect of essential oil and Calcium Chloride on quantitative and qualitative features (Ziziphus mauritiana) during storge.International Journal of Plant, Animal and Environmental Sciences, 5(2), issn 2231-4490.

[24] Burton, W. G. 1982. Postharvest physiology of food crops. Longmann and Scientific, New York, 310.

[25] Al-Ani, Abdullah Mukhlef 1985. Physiology of horticultural crops after harvest, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research - Iraq. Mosul University Press. Iraq.

[26] Sahalah, Nidal Risan Harez 2015. The effect of spraying with gibberellic acid and calcium chloride on the yield, quality characteristics and storage capacity of Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. cv. Tufahi jujube fruits. Master’s thesis, College of Agriculture, University of Basra, Iraq.

[27] Zeraatgar, H.; Davarynejad,G.H.;Moradinezhad,F. and Abedi  , B ., 2018. Effect of salicylic acid and calcium nitrate spraying on qualitative properties and storability of fresh jujube fruit (Ziziphus jujube Mill.). Not Bot HortiAgrobo, 46(1):138-147.

[28] Al-Khafaji, Maki Alwan, Karim Hussein Al-Jubouri, Issam Abdullah Mawloud and Hamza Hassan Hamoud 1992. Effect of Ethephon on the ripening uniformity and some chemical properties of date palm fruits, Maktoum cultivar. Basra Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 5(2): 197-214.

[29] Al-Issawi, Samir Abdul Ali Saleh. 2004. The effect of gibberellin, licorice extract, and storage temperature on the yield and characteristics of date palm fruits.

[30] Al-Barrak, Sabah Hassan Tarish 2009. The effect of storage temperature and calcium on the storability and quality of date palm fruits of the Barhi and Hilali cultivars in the Khalal stage. Master’s thesis - College of Agriculture - University of Basra.

[31] Ali, Z. A., Hamza, H. A., Shareef, S. H. M., Shaker, A. S., Razavi, S. H., & Yousief, M. Y. 2025. The Effect of Cordia Myxa L. on Storage Quality of Vitis Vinifera. International Journal of Nutrition Sciences, 10(1), 101-106.‏ doi: 10.30476/ijns.2025.105844.1411.

[32] Tain, Diaa Ahmed 1997. Effect of thermal treatments and packaging methods on the storability of date palm fruits (Phoenix dacdylifera L.) Al-Brim variety. Master’s Thesis, College of Agriculture, University of Basra, Basra, Iraq.

[33] Tain, Diaa Ahmed 1999. Effect of storage temperature on the qualitative characteristics of Cordia myxa L.  Basra Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 12(1):33-41.

[34] Aboutalebi, Abdolhosain and Mehdi Hosseinifarahi 2014. Effect of Various Treatments on Seed Germination Characteristics of Wild Ziziphus (Ziziphus spina-christi). Indian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Life Sciences ISSN: 2231-6345 .Vol. 4 (4), pp.93-96.

[35] Mani,A.; Jain,N.; Singh,A.K. and Mukta Sinha. 2017. Effects of Aloevera Edible Coating on Quality and Postharvest Physiology of Ber (Zizyphus mauritiana Lam.) under Ambient Storage Conditions. Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 5 (6): 43-53. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.5688.

[36] Jamal Abdul Redha Al-Rabea'a. 2023. Evaluation Study of some Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Red and White Mulberry Fruits, a Local Variety Morus sp. 4th International Conference of Modern Technologies in Agricultural Sciences. IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1262 (2023) 042024. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1262/4/042024.

[1] El Maaiden, E., El Kharrassi, Y., Qarah, N. A., Essamadi, A. K., Moustaid, K., & Nasser, B. 2020. Genus Ziziphus: A comprehensive review on ethnopharmacological, phytochemical and pharmacological properties. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 259, 112950. ‏doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.112950
[2] Meriem, T., 2024. A review on phytopharmacological properties of five jujube species. Ziziphus sativa, Z. mauritiana, Z. mucronata, Z. lotus, pp.2836-2322. doi.org/10.58489/2836-2322/028.
[3] Hzaa, A.Y.L., Alkanan, I.M. and Sahib, M.R., 2023. Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Five Cultivars of Ziziphus spp. Cultivated in Southern Iraq.
[4] A Elanany, A. and Salem, A., 2024. Biological and technological evaluation of sidr (Ziziphus spina Christi L.) based on high fat diet as an antihyperlipidemic effect. Food Technology Research Journal, 3(2), pp.94-106. doi: 10.21608/ftrj.2024.274607.1061.
[5] Fukalova Fukalova, T., García-Martínez, M. D., Esteve Ciudad, P., & Raigón Jiménez, M. D. 2023. The Effects of Low-Input (Wild and Organic Farming) Conditions on the Nutritional Profile of Ziziphus jujuba Mill. Fruits from the Valencian Mediterranean. Sustainability, 15(19), 14587.‏doi:10.3390/su151914587.
 [6] Pandey, J., Gaire, S., Sharma, K., Pun, D., Gyawali, A., Lamichhane, G., and Devkota, H. P. 2023. Exploring the potentials of Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. seed kernel oil as pharmaceutical oil base: Physicochemical characterization and ketoconazole soap formulation. Heliyon, 9(11). doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21034.
[7] Shareef, Sara H.M. 2025. Study the active compounds of Barhi date seed extracts. Euphrates Journal of Agricultural Science-17 (1):1074-1085.
[8] Kiesler, R., Franke, H., and Lachenmeier, D. W. 2024. A comprehensive review of the nutritional composition and toxicological profile of date seed coffee (Phoenix dactylifera). Applied Sciences, 14(6), 2346. ‏doi.org/10.3390/app14062346.
[9] Alkhoori, M.A., Kong, A.S.Y., Aljaafari, M.N., Abushelaibi, A., Erin Lim, S.H., Cheng, W.H., Chong, C.M. and Lai, K.S., 2022. Biochemical composition and biological activities of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seeds: A review. Biomolecules, 12(11), p.1626. doi: 10.3390/biom12111626.
[10] Umeohia, U.E. and Olapade, A.A., 2024. Physiological processes affecting postharvest quality of fresh fruits and vegetables. Asian Food Sci. J, 23(4), p.115915. DOI:10.9734/AFSJ/2024/v23i4706.
[11] Hamza, H.A., Majeed, E.R., Taain, D.A. and Hamzah, I.I., 2024. Effect of ozone treatment and storage temperature on the storage ability of date palm fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cv. Medjool. Annals of the Faculty of Engineering Hunedoara-International Journal of Engineering, 22(1).
[12] Kim, J.E., Kim, M.A., Kim, J.S., Park, D.C. and Lee, S.P., 2013. Enhancing the organoleptic and functional properties of jujube by a quick aging process. Preventive nutrition and food science, 18(1), p.50.doi: 10.3746/pnf.2013.18.1.050.
[13] Howrtiz W. Official Methods of Analysis. 16th edition. Association of Official Analytical
          Chemists. Washington, DC, USA; 1995.
[14] A.O.A.C. (1980). Association of the Official Analytical Chemists, Methods of analysis 13th ed. Washington, d.c. U.S.A.
[15] Hurwitz, W. (1975). Official Methods of Analysis. Association of official Analytical chemists, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
[16] Stahl, E. 1969. Apparatus and general techniques. In: Stahl, E., Ed., TLC in thin layer chromatography: A Laboratory Handbook, 2nd Edition, Springer-Verlag, New York.
[17] Guenther, E. S. (1972). Essential oils. R. E. Krieger Publishing Company,    Hunting on, New York, PP, 18-87 U.S.A.
[18] Al-Rawi KM, Khalaf Allah AM. Design and analysis of agricultural experiments. El Mousel Univ, Iraq. 1980; 19:487.
[19] Ribeiro, C., Vicente, A.A., Teixeira, J.A. and Miranda, C. (2007). Optimization of edible coating composition to retard strawberry fruit senescence. Postharvest Biol. Technol., 44: 63–70.
[20] Pareek, O.P. 2001. Ber. International Centre for underutilized crops, Southampton, UK.
[21] Kitinoja, L. and Kader, A. A. 2002. Small-scale post-harvest handling practices: A manual for horticulture crops (4thedition). Post-harvest Horticulture series No 8 a University of California, Davis, Post-harvest Technology Research and Information Center U. S. A.
[22] Tembo,L.; Z. A. Chiteka; I. Kadzere; F. K. Akinnifesi and F. Tagwira 2008. Storage temperature affects fruit quality attributes of Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.) in Zimbabwe. African Journal of Biotechnology 7(8):3092-3099.
[23] Shahi, M; Rastegar, S and Khankahdani,H,H., 2015. Effect of essential oil and Calcium Chloride on quantitative and qualitative features (Ziziphus mauritiana) during storge.International Journal of Plant, Animal and Environmental Sciences, 5(2), issn 2231-4490.
[24] Burton, W. G. 1982. Postharvest physiology of food crops. Longmann and Scientific, New York, 310.
[25] Al-Ani, Abdullah Mukhlef 1985. Physiology of horticultural crops after harvest, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research - Iraq. Mosul University Press. Iraq.
[26] Sahalah, Nidal Risan Harez 2015. The effect of spraying with gibberellic acid and calcium chloride on the yield, quality characteristics and storage capacity of Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. cv. Tufahi jujube fruits. Master’s thesis, College of Agriculture, University of Basra, Iraq.
[27] Zeraatgar, H.; Davarynejad,G.H.;Moradinezhad,F. and Abedi  , B ., 2018. Effect of salicylic acid and calcium nitrate spraying on qualitative properties and storability of fresh jujube fruit (Ziziphus jujube Mill.). Not Bot HortiAgrobo, 46(1):138-147.
[28] Al-Khafaji, Maki Alwan, Karim Hussein Al-Jubouri, Issam Abdullah Mawloud and Hamza Hassan Hamoud 1992. Effect of Ethephon on the ripening uniformity and some chemical properties of date palm fruits, Maktoum cultivar. Basra Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 5(2): 197-214.
[29] Al-Issawi, Samir Abdul Ali Saleh. 2004. The effect of gibberellin, licorice extract, and storage temperature on the yield and characteristics of date palm fruits.
[30] Al-Barrak, Sabah Hassan Tarish 2009. The effect of storage temperature and calcium on the storability and quality of date palm fruits of the Barhi and Hilali cultivars in the Khalal stage. Master’s thesis - College of Agriculture - University of Basra.
[31] Ali, Z. A., Hamza, H. A., Shareef, S. H. M., Shaker, A. S., Razavi, S. H., & Yousief, M. Y. 2025. The Effect of Cordia Myxa L. on Storage Quality of Vitis Vinifera. International Journal of Nutrition Sciences, 10(1), 101-106.‏ doi: 10.30476/ijns.2025.105844.1411.
[32] Tain, Diaa Ahmed 1997. Effect of thermal treatments and packaging methods on the storability of date palm fruits (Phoenix dacdylifera L.) Al-Brim variety. Master’s Thesis, College of Agriculture, University of Basra, Basra, Iraq.
[33] Tain, Diaa Ahmed 1999. Effect of storage temperature on the qualitative characteristics of Cordia myxa L.  Basra Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 12(1):33-41.
[34] Aboutalebi, Abdolhosain and Mehdi Hosseinifarahi 2014. Effect of Various Treatments on Seed Germination Characteristics of Wild Ziziphus (Ziziphus spina-christi). Indian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Life Sciences ISSN: 2231-6345 .Vol. 4 (4), pp.93-96.
[35] Mani,A.; Jain,N.; Singh,A.K. and Mukta Sinha. 2017. Effects of Aloevera Edible Coating on Quality and Postharvest Physiology of Ber (Zizyphus mauritiana Lam.) under Ambient Storage Conditions. Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 5 (6): 43-53. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.5688.
[36] Jamal Abdul Redha Al-Rabea'a. 2023. Evaluation Study of some Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Red and White Mulberry Fruits, a Local Variety Morus sp. 4th International Conference of Modern Technologies in Agricultural Sciences. IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1262 (2023) 042024. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1262/4/042024.