Physiochemical Composition and Sensory Properties of Zahidi Date Seed Coffee and their Utilization as Antidiabetics

Abstract

Dates (Arabic: Tamar, Latin: Phoenix dactylifera) are a native fruit from the Middle East, and it is a by-product of date’s industry and date consumption. The present study is aimed to investigate the physiochemical composition like moisture content, crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, carbohydrate, ash content, pH, total soluble solid and total titratable acidity and sensory evaluation-like taste, aroma, color, appearance, and overall acceptability of Zahidi date seed coffee powder which is commonly available types of date seed in the Iraqi market especially in Kurdistan market. On the other hand, to find out the efficacy of the date seed coffee drink in ameliorating serum glucose and insulin resistance. Thirty volunteers, ten of whom were classified as the negative control group (NCG), and twenty volunteers received their daily standard medical treatment (tablets or insulin). The date seed coffee supplementation is given to every patient in the experimental groups twice daily in cups. Each cup contains 10g of date seed coffee in 200 ml of distilled water. This process was continuous for about three consecutive months. The results revealed that Zahidi date seeds had higher protein, fat, fiber, and carbohydrate content on average 6.31, 8.87, 18.14, and 63.78%, respectively. For sensory evaluation, the results displayed a high value for aroma and overall acceptability. Additionally, for diabetics, the results indicated that fasting blood glucose was significantly reduced after the administration of date seed coffee powder, especially in diabetic patients treated with insulin, compared to the negative control group and diabetic patients treated with tablets.