Quality characteristics and oxidative stability of date seed oil during storage

Studies were conducted on some quality characteristics of date seed oil from two date palm cultivars (Phoenix dactylifera L.): Deglet Nour and Allig. The following values were obtained for Deglet Nour and Allig cultivars respectively: unsaponifiable matter 8.92-7.76%, iodine value 45.49-44.08, total phenols 520.81-220.32 mug/g oil, chlorophylls 0.86-0.58 mug/g oil, viscosity 18.50-20.50 mPa.s, refractive index 1.457-1.462, acidity 1.06-2.10mg KOH/g oil and peroxide index 16.00-25.00 meq O-2/100g oil. Lipid fractionation of date seed oil yielded 98.30-97.30% neutral lipids, 97.26-96.90% triglycerides, 0.25-0.18% phospholipids and 0.36-0.31% sterols. Gas-liquid chromatography revealed that the major unsaturated fatty acid was oleic acid (39.17-42.13%) while the main saturated fatty acid was lauric acid (24.34-22.56%). Date seed oil showed high medium molecular weight triglycerides (C32-C42, about 27%). Extinction coefficients at 232 nm and 270 nm increased slightly during 40 days in oven (60degreesC) showing that date seed oil could be easily stored. The production of oil from date seeds provides the use of a renewable resource, and at the same time adding value to agricultural products.