Physico-Chemical, Surface and Thermal Properties of Date Palm Pollen as a Novel Nutritive Ingredient

Abstract

Background
Date palm pollen (DPP) is a natural product well-known in folk medicine in the Arab world. It is used to improve the fertility
of human beings and studies have tested this activity on rabbits and rats. In the region of Sfax from Tunisia, a huge quantity of
DPP could be discarded. Taking into account of the richness of this typical product of different components and of the trend
of producing food supplements that could be sold at medium price comparing with the existing product, DPP was analyzed on
the basis of physical and chemical properties in order to promote its use as a techno-functional ingredient in the agri-food and
pharmaceutical field.
Results
X-ray diffraction showed that DPP is characterized by an amorphous structure which leads to better techno-functional properties
while stored in a water-air-tight container. Findings proved that DPP is capable to reduce the surface tension. Collected data from
thermal analysis proved that DPP is thermally stable during storage and in different food systems.
Conclusion
The present study demonstrated that DPP could be used in the agri-food and pharmaceutical field. The obtained results help to
define the suitable storage conditions of DPP and to predict its behavior when used as an ingredient. DPP can be used as a whole
in food formulations or after extracting protein which is the main responsible agent for surfactant property. DPP proteins might
be used as a food supplement in commercial sports nutrition products that can be sold at medium prices compared to some existing
products.