An Exploratory Study of the Nutritional Composition and Caco-2 Safety Assessment of Elche Date Flour and Its Green Hydroethanolic Extracts

TL;DR

This study explores the nutritional value and safety of date flour and extracts from Elche dates, showing they could be used as sustainable food ingredients.

Contribution

The study introduces Elche date flour and green hydroethanolic extracts as novel, safe, and nutritionally rich food ingredients.

Findings

Date flour and extracts showed high levels of minerals, proteins, and antioxidants, with D8 being particularly rich in several nutrients.

Cytotoxicity tests on Caco-2 cells showed no significant toxicity up to 1000 µg/mL, indicating biological safety.

The study highlights the potential of date byproducts as sustainable and nutritious food ingredients.

Abstract

The Elche palm grove (Spain) produces large surpluses of fresh date fruits due to low industrial processing and strict market standards. This exploratory study assessed the potential of these fruits as sustainable ingredients through the production of freeze-dried date flour and its green hydroethanolic extracts. Computer vision analysis of nine local cultivars (D1–D9) revealed broad chromatic and phenotypic diversity. Mineral and heavy metal analyses in the flour indicated high nutritional value and overall safety: D8 was richest in Mg (1.23 mg/g), P (0.78 mg/g), Fe (15.32 mg/kg), Zn (9.20 mg/kg), Cu (5.22 mg/kg), and Se (68 µg/kg), while D4 showed the highest K (22.1 mg/g) and D1 the highest Ca (1.94 mg/g). Lead and cadmium were highest in D8 and arsenic in D1, although all values remained within the regulatory limits. Hydroethanolic extracts exhibited remarkable compositional variability: D4 and D5 had the greatest carbohydrates (737.70 ± 55.79 mg/g DM), D8 and D9 the highest proteins (up to 40.31 ± 1.33 mg/g DM), and D2 and D8 the highest carotenoids (up to 36.44 ± 1.55 μg/g DM). D8 also showed the highest phenolics (13.98 ± 2.93 mg GAE/g DM) and antioxidant capacity. Cytotoxicity assays in Caco-2 cells showed no significant effects up to 1000 µg/mL. These preliminary findings suggest that green-extracted date fractions may combine nutritional richness, antioxidant potential, and biological safety, providing a basis for future studies on their application as natural and sustainable food ingredients.

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