Date fruit: a review of the chemical and nutritional compounds, functional effects and food application in nutrition bars for athletes. (16th October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ibrahim, Salam A.; Ayad, Amira A.; Williams, Leonard L.; Ayivi, Raphael D.; Gyawali, Rabin; Krastanov, Albert; Aljaloud, Sulaiman O.
• Is Part Of: International journal of food science & technology. Volume 56:Number 4(2021)
• Page Start: 1503
• Page End: 1513
• Publication Date: 2020-10-16
• Subjects: Athletic performance -- date fruit -- dietary supplement -- health benefits -- nutrition bars; Food industry and trade -- Periodicals; 664
• DOI: 10.1111/ijfs.14783
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0950-5423

Abstract

Summary: Date fruit is an excellent source of nutritional and health benefits. The chemical composition of dates includes carbohydrates, dietary fibre, proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins, enzymes, phenolic acid and carotenoids, all of which are directly linked to nutritional and health benefits for consumers. A number of studies have also confirmed the therapeutic effects of dates and their efficacy in the treatment of many disease conditions. As a result, a number of food products such as date syrup, date juice and date paste have been developed in order to harness the nutritional potential of dates. Adequate sources of nutrition are important for all consumers, especially for active lifestyle individuals such as athletes and sportspeople. As the goal of every athlete is to enhance athletic performance and prevent energy deficit, the use of dietary supplements has been highly recommended as a solution in this regard. For example, nutrition bars are one source of high energy and nutrients that can provide the required energy for enhanced athletic performance, and date fruits could be valorised into nutrition bars in order to help athletes to achieve their performance and nutritional goals. In this paper, we review the chemical composition and health benefits of date fruit, its food application and consequently its formulation in nutrition bars for athletes. Abstract : This review presents the chemical composition, nutritional and health benefits of date. We also present possible application of date in the product development of nutrition bar for athletes.