Utilization of Date Pulp (Phoenix dactylifera L.) as a Natural Source for Producing Functional Cake Products

Abstract

The demand for healthy items such as sugar-free, low-calorie, and high-fiber foods is rising. The increased fiber content in meals is a new trend in the fight against health problems like hypertension, diabetes, and colon cancer, among others. The effects of date pulp powder (DPP) as a sugar substitution on the chemical composition, nutritional values and sensory properties, of cake were studied. The obtained results revealed that, DPP had a higher concentration of crude fiber and ash (3.88 and 2.70%) than Wheat flour (WF) 72%, (1.04 and 0.65%). However, DPP constituted a little high potassium value (513.32 mg/100 g), followed by phosphors and magnesium (87.5 and 42.90 mg/100 g, respectively). Chemical compositions of date cake product were increased compared with the control cake. The mineral contents and vitamins of date cake product were increased as compared with the control. Sensory evaluation results indicated that, the date cake product had better taste and aroma compared to the control cake samples. The texture of the date cake product was lower compared to the control cake samples. In addition, there were no changes were found in overall acceptability for date cake product and control.