Different Drying Methods for Preservation of Dates: A Review

Background: Dates, the staple food in many Gulf countries and they are the fruits with high nutritional values, besides highly perishable, so there is a need for a better preservation technique which will prevent the dates from deterioration and also in the extension of shelf life of dates. Dates, the fruit of date palm provide not only the essential nutrients but also health benefits. They can be consumed by adding in coffee, milk or yoghurt and the dates which are processed can be used as paste, syrup, pickles, jams, and jellies and also used in bakery and confectionary products along with chocolate, coconut, honey, vinegar and other.

Scope and Approach: This article describes the purpose of drying and dehydration of dates and also different drying methods for dates like solar drying, hot air oven drying, vacuum drying, spray drying and drum drying. Keeping the nutritional composition and health benefits of dates in mind there is a need to know the different processing techniques which extend the shelf life of dates.

Key Findings and Conclusion: The most common medicinal use of dates and its products is as a tonic, especially for women who are close to delivery and at the postpartum stage. The extent of spoilage in dates is very high when there are unfavourable climatic conditions and prone to coliform attack. This leads to loss of consumer interest and export potential, so in order to prevent these losses drying and dehydration is needed.