Effects of Various Chemical Treatments on Ripening Acceleration and Quality Attributes of Sukkari Dates

This study aimed to investigate the accelerated ripening of sukkari dates and examine the resulting changes in color, pulp, carbohydrates, vitamins, and antioxidant capacity using a comprehensive set of nine individual treatments. Fresh dates at the Khalal stage were subjected to immersion in normal water for 5 h or hot water for 5 min, with or without the inclusion of NaCl (2%), potassium metabisulfite (PM, 0.5%), and acetic acid (AA, 1.5%), either individually or in combination. The treated dates were then allowed to ripen for 72 h in an aerated incubator at 40 °C. Evaluation of color shade, fruit weight, pulp texture, total soluble carbohydrates (TSC), total soluble sugars (TSS), beta-carotene, total polyphenols (TPC), total flavonoids (TFC), DPPH radical scavenging activity, FRAP value, and overall appearance assessed the efficacy of each treatment. Among the treatments, T₆ (normal water with 1.5% AA + 0.5% PM) and T₈ (hot water with 1.5% AA + 0.05% PM) exhibited superior acceptance levels, characterized by softness, reduced pungency, a rich brown color, and exceptional visual appeal, with more than 77% and 88% pulp and ripened fruit, respectively. Furthermore, T₆ demonstrated higher TSC (96.70 mg g⁻¹ FW), TSS (322.22 mg g⁻¹ FW), DPPH radical scavenging activity (92.84%), and FRAP value (0.40), while exhibiting lower levels of beta-carotene (4.91 mg 100 g⁻¹ FW), TPC (0.14 mg g⁻¹ FW), and TFC (0.31 mg g⁻¹ FW). Similarly, T₈ performed exceptionally well across all parameters except for beta-carotene.