Exploring the Potential of Immature Dates as Natural Sweetener for the Formulation of Phytonutritional Instant Cake Premix: Quality Assessment and Shelf Storage Studies

The processing and harvesting of date fruit generates a substantial amount of by-product waste which has significant potential for value addition owing to its rich nutritional profile. Therefore, present study was aimed to develop and assess the effect of incorporation of date powder prepared from processing of immature dates in cake premix by substituting refined sugar.

Immature dates were artificially ripened from Biser to Tamar stage and further these soft dates were used in the production of date powder using cabinet hot air drying (45 ± 5ºC/72 h). Date powder exhibiting good phytochemical and techno-functional properties was substituted at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% levels of refined sugar in the cake premix.

Compared to control, incorporation of date powder significantly (p < 0.05) improved physicochemical as well as phytochemical, functional properties, textural and mineral profile as confirmed by ICP-AES and FT-IR analysis. Date cake premix formulated with 100% replacement of refined sugar (CP₄) achieved highest overall acceptability on a 9-point hedonic scale with the highest fibre (7.54%), ash (3.03%), total phenolics (249.38 mg GAE/100 g), antioxidant activity (61.12%) and reduced total sugars (33.52%) content and hence was selected for storage studies. The storage of CP₄ formulation at ambient temperature (25 ± 1ºC) temperature significantly (p < 0.05) influenced the quality attributes of prepared premix.

The study showed that date powder can be used as a natural sweetener at 100% levels in cake premix while maintaining desirable texture, functional properties and organoleptic quality. Valorization of immature dates can be a sustainable approach for developing nutritious along with date waste management.