Chemical Composition and Nutritional Quality of Date Seeds

ABSTRACT The seeds of Ruzeiz and Sifri date cultivars, on the average, contained 6.5% protein, 10.4% fat, 22.0% fiber, 1.1% ash, and 60.0% carbohydrates on a dry weight basis. Mineral analysis showed higher concentration of K followed by P, Mg, Ca and Na. Among the microelements, Fe was in higher concentration (7.4 mg/100g dry weight) followed by Mn, Zn and Cu. Oleic (44.25%), lauric (17.35%), myristic (11.45%), palmitic (10.30%) and linoleic (8.45%) were the major fatty acids in date seed oil. Tryptophan (chemical score = 77) was the first limiting amino acid in date seed proteins (FAO/WHO, 1973). The average in vitro protein digestibility and calculated protein efficiency ratio values were 63.5% and 1.65, respectively, compared to 90% and 2.50 for ANRC‐Casein.