Phytochemical composition of phoenix dactylifera fruits (date palm)

Resumen del trabajo presentado a las III Jornadas Científicas CIAL Fórum, celebradas del 22 al 23 de noviembre de 2018 en el Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación (CIAL).The date palm Phoenix dactylifera, a tropical and subtropical tree, belonging to the family Palmae (Arecaceae) is one of mankind’s oldest cultivated plants. Date palm has long been one of the most important fruit crops in the arid regions of the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, and the Middle East. Dates are a major food source and income source for local populations in the Middle East and North Africa, and play significant roles in the economy, society, and environment in these areas. Date fruits have gained great importance in human nutrition owing to their rich content of essential nutrients and various biological activities (hepatoprotective, anti-genotoxic, nephroprotective, anti-allergic, neuroprotective, antiviral, antifungal. The aim of this work is to figure out set up a sample preparation method to address the composition and to explore the different activities of dates (fruit and seed) by using “green” extractions methods and to assess the differences between the varieties coming from different localities. From the seeds, oil has been extracted by a supercritical CO2 and analyzed by GC-MS. To set up the extraction conditions to have the best extract, a chemometric optimization was done. Different ranges of pressure (100-300 bar), temperature (40-80°C) and co-solvent (Ethanol: 0-10%) were chosen, then a statistical analysis was done to determine the optimum conditions (100 bar, 40°C and 10% ethanol). The oil of each extract obtained was analyzed by gas chromatography to determine the profile in fatty acids. The main fatty acid found in all the varieties was myristic acid (C14:0). In order to determine the lipid class composition of the oil, the extracts had been analyzed by HPLC-ELSD. From the pulp the extraction was operated by Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). The same methodology of optimization has been used; the variables were temperature (50-150°C) and solvent composition (Ethanol 100%, water 100%, water/Ethanol 50%). To get the optimum conditions an antioxidant assay was run and the yield was evaluated and then analyzed by the same method as SFE. The optimum was determined at those conditions of temperature: 150°C and Ethanol: 72%. Then the plenolic composition of extracts were analyzed by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS for quantification purposes.This work was done thanks to the support and financial help of the Tunisian Ministry of High Education and Scientific Research via the University of Carthage and the Faculty of Science of Bizerte.Peer reviewe