Azarian J. Agric. VOL (4) ISSUE 2, 2017: 46-53

Azarian Journal of Agriculture

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An introduction to Iran palms: types, usage and production problems Sakineh Ehteshami1, Seyed Morteza Zahedi2*, Naghmeh Daneshvar Hakimi Meybodi3, Marzieh Khazaei4

Article Info ABSTRACT Accepted: 26 April 2017

Palms are considered the symbol of desert and they probably originated from Iraq and Iran. Due to its high tolerance in difficult climatic conditions, planting this tree has increased in warm areas all over the world during the recent years. The main regions for producing this fruit are the Middle East and north of Africa. Iran is one of the main date producing countries in the world. There are more than 200 varieties of date in Iran, the most important of which are Estameran, Shahani, Mazafati, Barhee, and Piaram. The palm tree is a multipurpose plant and various parts of the tree are used as food, medicine, and in industry. Despite high production of date in Iran, a large amount of this product is wasted due to lack of packaging and processing.

Keywords: Iran, Palm, Physical and biochemical characteristics, Production problems INTRODUCTION1

alms are one of the oldest planted trees by man. The most suitable areas for planting these trees are arid and semi-arid of Middle

East and north of Africa. Since palm is known for its tolerance to high temperature, salinity, and drought, its planting has expanded to other areas such as China, north of India, and California (Cao and Chao 2002; Sane et al. 2005). Iran, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Iraq are the main producers of date in the world (FAO 2013).

Phoenix dactylifera (Arecaceae) is a monocotyledon and dioeciously tree which is considered as a flowering plant species (male and female flowers in separate bases) and naturally a wind pollinated plant (Zohary and Hopf 1993; Barrow 1998). The flowers have three carpels and only one of them can develop by pollination. Fruit formation is in close relationship with the pollen’s

1 Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Hormozgan, Bandar abbas, Iran 2 Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran 3 Department of Horticulture, College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Campus of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran 4 Young Researchers and Elite Club, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran *Email: S.M.Zahedi@maragheh.ac.ir

long-term survival and the temperature during pollination. Normally temperature between 23.9-26.2°C leads to the formation of fruit with higher quality (Nixon and Carpenter 1978). The fruits will be of high quality if 5-8% of the flowers change to fruits.

The date fruit is a berry, made of a single seed surrounded by a fibrous parchment-like whitish Endocarp, a fleshy Mesocarp, and the fruit skin (Pericarp). The fruit is attached to the spikelet by a perianth (calyx or cap) (Barreveld 1993). It takes around 200 days for the fruit to move from the pollination to ripen stage and its growth contains five separate stages namely Hababook, Kimri, Khalal, Rotab, and Tamar (Mortazavi et al. 2011). At the kimri stage, there is a rapid increase in size and weight and a decrease in sugars; it is the period of the highest acid activity and moisture content (up to 85%). At the khalal stage, weight gain is slow but sucrose content increases, moisture content goes down, and tannins start to precipitate and lose their astringency (Barreveld 1993). During the Rotab stage, the fruit is soft and its color becomes bright; this is followed by losing water and accumulating sugar (inversion of sucrose into carbohydrate). In the last stage, the fruit loses much water and contains its highest amount of sugar. Most of the dates are harvested in this stage as a soft, semi-dry, or dry fruit depending on their destination or usage, while the fruit has 60-80% sugar depending on its cultivar and environment (Yahya and Kader 2011).

P

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2. Medical value

In traditional medicine, different parts of date tree such as fruit and pollen, have been used for treating some diseases and disorders such as paramnesia, fever, inflammation, paralysis, and loss of consciousness (Al- Qarawi et al. 2004). Gum dates have been used for diarrhea treatment and some urine disorders. Also, pollen has been used for enhancing human fertility in some countries such as Iran. New researches show that using date honey during delivery is effective for having a normal delivery (Kordi et al. 2009). Date honey has many fantastic properties such as being anti-fungi (Shraideh et al. 1998), anti-bacterial (Saddiq and Bawazir 2010), anti-parasite (Metwaly et al. 2012), anti-virus (Jassim and Naji 2010) and having liver protective activities (Metwaly et al. 2014). The anti-microbial effect of diverse extracts of different parts of this tree shows that this plant, especially its pollen, is so effective in contamination treatments like positive gram bacteria (Shakibaa et al. 2011). Using pollen in traditional medicine has a long history and it has a variety of anti-microbial (Baltrusaityte et al. 2007), anti-oxidative (Le-Blanca et al. 2009), anti-inflammatory (Choi 2007), and liver-protective (Uzbekova et al 2003) properties in treatment.

3. Chemical properties

Date is full of nutrients and it has an important role in nutrition and health. It has high sugar content and low content of protein and lipids. The main mineral in date is Potassium and the major sugars are glucose and fructose. However, it contains the required amino acid of the body, which can not be produced by the body itself. The analysis of amino acids shows that the extract of date contains aspartic acid, prolin, glycine, histidine, valine, leucine, arginine, threonine, serine, methionine, isoleucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, lysine, and a low concentration of alanine (Assirey 2015). This fruit has significant minerals, some of which such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphor, and sodium are necessary for proper metabolism of a human cell. Most of the chromes that are available in all of the developmental stages are chlorophyll, carotenoids, and in some cultivars, anthocyanin. Progressing in development and fruit maturity leads to a decrease in the amount of chlorophyll and carotenoid (Abo-Hassan and Bacha 1982). The most important phenolic contents in date include P-chomaric acid, folic acid, cynaptic acid, and some derivations of chymotic acid (Mansoori et al. 2005). Pollens are a good source of protein, amino acid, vitamins (A, B, C, D, E), nutritional fibrous, oil acids, enzymes, hormones, and minerals (Alferz and Campos 2000). Totally, fresh pollens consist of water (5-36%) and solids (64-95%) such as minerals, vitamins, sugars,

lipids, the growth factors, anti-bacterial activities, around 100 kinds of enzymes, and co-factors (Hassan 2011). Recently, it has been shown that pollens contain estrone, estradiol, and estriol (Abbas and Ateyat 2011).

4. Date applications

Palms have high nutritional, medical, economical, and social values. They are used in different industries such as the chemical, cosmetic, medical, animal food, and food production ones. The date core is used in domestic foods after grinding. The date leaves are used in paper-making and crafts such as making bags, baskets, ropes, etc. and in some areas it is used for covering the roof of the houses. The spoiled fruit of this tree can be used in food processing and pastry. The edible usage of date and its use in chemical industry is discussed in the following sections.

4.1. Edible usage

As it was mentioned, most parts of a palm have different applications in various areas but the main part is its fruit that can be used fresh and dry. In north of Africa and the Middle East, some cultivars are used in the Khalal stage when the fruit is astringent and it has high tannin content (Glasner et al. 2002). This fruit is edible in the last three stages but the most delicious form in most cultivars is in the Rotab stage. Most of the dates have high sugar content and a low content of moisture and tannin.

Since dates are considered as the major source of sugar, their main usage is in food production, which can substitute sugar in the nutrition formula. Date juice is used in producing different products such as fruit ice-cream, sweets, jams, fermentative products, drinks, desserts, and so on (Alfarsi 2003). The most important point in introducing sweet taste is that concentrates and liquid sugar of date are able to produce the required sweet taste in food industry and in this regard, they are suitable substitutes for

Figure 1. Date production in Iran in comparison with other countries (FAO 2013)

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sugar in food products.

Another important product of date is date paste that has a different usage in food industry. It is a good substitute in most of the food formula. In pastry, it is used as the main material for cooking sweets.

4.2. Applying palm in green chemistry

Green chemistry is defined as designing processes to reduce or eliminate using dangerous substances. In the past few years, green chemistry has been recognized as a science based on a new methodology for protecting the environment. Bio-nanotechnology is a branch of nanotechnology that uses biological resources for synthesis of nanoparticles. Biological systems are more environmentally friendly compared with the chemical systems.

A novel approach for biosynthesis of the silver nanoparticles is using Palm Toddy extract. Toddy extract fractions were prepared using different Milli-Q-water. Toddy extract fractions were mixed with silver nitrate (AgNO3) for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Toddy extract reduces silver ions (Ag+) to metallic silver nanoparticles (Ag0). Toddy mediated synthesis of

silver nanoparticles is comparatively rapid and less expensive and can be done on a large scale (Merugu et al. 2014).

Palm pollen (PP) has been widely used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. PP was used as both the reducing and stabilizing agents in the synthesis of a silver nanoparticle (Ag NP) (Namvar et al. 2015).

Barium hexaferrite (BaFe12O19) nanostructures have been successfully synthesized from palm oil using the simple coprecipitation methods. The effects of processing parameters such as the dosage of palm oil on the crystalline phase formation and magnetic properties were investigated. The biosynthesized barium haxaferrite nanostructures were characterized using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Synthesis of nanostructures utilizing palm oil can be beneficial, in which biotemplates can perform as both reducing and capping agents during the reaction process and result in nanostructures that are more biocompatible (Mandizadeh et al. 2014).

Gold nanoparticles (AuNps) from the gold precursor were synthesized from palm oil mill effluent (POME) without adding external surfactant, capping agent, or template. POME has a high content of phenolic acids and flavonoids. Availability of abundant hydroxyl groups in these compounds could have an important role in bio reduction of gold. The biosynthesized AuNps were found to be predominantly spherical, with some triangular and hexagonal shapes. The impact of various reaction parameters on morphology and size of the biosynthesized AuNps was also investigated (Gan et al. 2012).

5. Date in Iran

This plant, with a cultural history of 4000 years, is one of the strategic and important crops in

Figure 2. Date production in states of Iran (statistics of Jihad Agriculture 2014)

Table 1. Date cultivation area in the States of Iran (Hectare) (Statistics of Jihad Agriculture 2014) Unfertility area Fertility area State Total Dry land Irrigated Total Dry land Irrigated

196 0 196 114.6 0 114.6 Isfahan 55 0 55 166.7 0 166.7 Ilam

29729.6 2977.6 26752 3497.4 69.4 3428.1 Booshehr 28037 0 28037 2827.3 0 2827.3 The South of Kerman 1265.0 0 1265.0 581.1 0 581.1 The Southern Khorasan

25785.0 0 25785.0 6903.6 0 6903.6 Khozestan 53 0 53 32.5 0 32.5 Semnan

34292.5 13036.5 21256 32.5 154.4 7665.0 Systan and Baloochestan 28890 3525 22365 3104.7 474.5 2630.2 Fars

24314.9 0 24314.9 4112.8 0 4112.8 Kerman 212.3 0 212.3 260.1 0 260.1 Kermanshah 47.5 0 47.5 34.3 0 34.3 Kohkeluyeh and Boyer Ahmad

27230.3 2997 24233.3 3086.4 0 3086.4 Hormozgan 2006 0 2006 298.2 0 298.2 Yazd

199114.1 22536.1 176578 32839.2 698.2 32140.9 Total

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Iran. It had been planted before Achaemenid dynasty and it is referred to in Sasani literatures.

5.1. Cultivation area and date production in Iran

According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the date cultivation area in Iran is of 162998 hectares and its production is 1083720 ton/h. Iran holds the second rank in production and third rank in the cultivation area in the world (Figure 1) (FAO 2013).

Date is the fourth important fruit after apple, grape, and orange to be cultivated in Iran: Kerman (29%), Systan and Baluchestan (17%), Booshehr (14.5%), and Khozestan (14.6%) have the biggest production areas and produce 63% of the date in Iran (Table 1, Figure 2).

5.2. Date cultivars in Iran

Having more than 400 cultivars, Iran has the richest Germplasm in the world. Around 50 cultivars of Iran have high value in trading and exporting (Pejman 2002). The most important cultivars in Iran are Estamerani, Shahani, Mazafati, Piaram, Kabkaab, Diri, and Rabbi (Mohebbi 2005). Some ingredients of cultivars are mentioned in table (2).

5.2.1. Estameran-Sayer Dates

Estameran dates (Figur. 3) are considered as dry dates which are the most important cultivars in Iran (Hazbavi et al. 2015). Their highest production is in the Khozestan state. This fruit is in the oval shape and its color is red-brown or amber-like in its mature stages and it is bright yellow in the other stages and it has a thick skin (Moosavi and Hojati 2009). The fruit taste is sweet and somewhat astringent and the core adhesion is low (Ghasemkhani 2008).

5.2.2. Shahani

The crop has a long form and its color is yellowish or bright brown (Figure 4). It is delicious and has a good scent. It holds the second rank in the cultivation area and its highest production is in Fars and especially in Jahrom. It is categorized as the soft dates but in some areas it is consumed as a

dry date. This crop is consumed in Iran due to its sweet taste and pretty color.

5.2.3. Mazafati

Mazafati (Figure 5) is one of the main cultivars in Iran and it has the third economical rank after Estameran and Shahani. It is known because of its large size, delicious taste, good form, and long shelf life. It matures on the tree and it is better to be eaten fresh. It is mainly cultivated in the Kerman state especially in Bam, Jiroft, Kahnooj, Shahdad, and Narmshir. Crop production is high and it is 300 Kg /tree. Its total production is 10000 TonHe-1 (10% total production) and this is amount to 30% of the exporting product of date (Hashempoor 2002).

It’s sorting and cleaning is very difficult due to the soft texture and sensitive skin which causes many dates to be destroyed by molds or fermentation. Dust and damages by birds or insects result in decreased quality of this date. Because of having high moisture, it is very sensitive to microbial decays, so mechanization is very important regarding the type of its consumption in

different maturity stages.

5.2.4. Barhee

Barhee (Figure 6) is one of the most important economical cultivars in the world and southwest part of Iran and it is consumed in Khalal, Rotab, and Tamar stages. The fruit is round, rough, and yellowish in the Khalal stage and it has a favorable taste in the Kharak stage because of low astringency. However, it is really spoilable because of high moisture and respiration and low shelf life. A few days after harvesting, wrinkles and spots appear on the fruit and decrease its quality. In the

Figure 3. Estameran date (Sayer)

Figure 4. Shahani Cultivar

Figure 5. Mazafati Date

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Rotab stage, it has soft texture, high amount of sugar, and moisture, that cause low shelf life and its contamination by molds and yeasts (Mortazavi et al. 2007; Karimipoorfard 2000).

5.2.5. Piarum

Piarum (Figure 7) has dark color and delicate skin. It has fructose sugar and it is suitable for diabetics. It is one of the most important semi-dry cultivars in Iran. The percent of moisture is low and the quality is favorable. It has a desirable shape for marketing. It is a well-known cultivar in the Hormozgan State.

5.3. Date problems in Iran

In recent years, wilting and drying has spread in the areas of date planting, especially in Kerman. Existence of this problem is reported only in Iran and it is not common in other countries. Although many researches have been done with regard to the detection of this problem, the relative agent hasn’t been detected yet. There are diverse factors in date decay that are due to lack of new technologies and outdated places of packaging and processing.

5.3.1. Occurrence of bunch withering

In recent years, some pests have polluted date orchards and caused serious damages to the production and export of date in Iran. Bunch withering is the most important problem in producing Mazafati and the damages are very serious; around 50-55 % of the total production has been contaminated. At first, it was reported in

Kahnooj, in 1989, and it starts in the Kharak stage (Rahkhodaii and Pejman 2008). The fruits dry and then they separate from the clusters. There are various comments on this problem. Rahkhodaei and Pejman (2008) believe that climatic factors, especially high temperature and low humidity, are the main reasons. This problem would become much more serious in high temperature (<43°C) and low humidity (>25%). It can be seen in different levels in date orchards, even it can be seen that some dates are contaminated while others are not (Mireii and Sedigh 2013).

Commercial cultivars such as Mazafati in Jiroft, Bam, and Kahnooj, Mordarsang in Hormozgan, Kabkaab in Booshehr and Khasi, and Kabkaab in Behbahan are the most sensitive cultivars which face this problem. Sudden dejection in fruits during the Khalal to Rotab stages and appearing of brown strips at the top or bottom of the clusters are the main signs in these cultivars (Pejman et al. 2004). Research in Pests and Disease Institute (PDI) has not proved any role for a virus, viroid, mycoplasma, bacterium, or nematode in producing and enhancing these problems. Thielaviopsis paradoxa is considered as the second agent in enhancing wilting and die backing of the date clusters under the environmental stress and dry air condition (Karimipoorfard 2001).

Rahkhodaei and Pejman (2005) reported that weather changes, especially sudden decrease of humidity, increase in temperature, and warm dry winds have considerable influence on the mentioned problem in changing the fruit from the

Figure 6. Barhee Date Figure 7. Piarum date

Table 2. Percent of the main ingredients, minerals, and sugars in dominant cultivars in Iran (Keramat and Khoresh 2001) Sodium Ash Protein Fat Moisture Cultivars (%) Zahedi 24 1.7 2.0 0.2 11.3 Khenizi 24 1.7 2.2 0.2 12.4 Kangrood 27 1.7 2.3 0.2 14.2 Estameran 26 1.4 2.1 0.1 12.8 Khasi 32 1.8 2.3 0.2 11.7 Behbahan Kebkaab 39 1.7 2.9 0.2 17.3 Shahani 34 1.5 2 0.1 15.5 Shahdad 31 2 1.5 0.2 28.5 Jiroft Mazafati 40 1.6 2 - 16.3 Bam Mazafati 36 1.4 1.6 0.2 24.7 Booshehr Kabkaab 31 1.5 2.1 0.3 15.8

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Kharak to Rotab stage. It seems that management

can be an effective factor in solving this problem in date orchards (Mirzaei 2001). Spraying trees of an orchard with potassium sulfate or calcium chloride alone or with a micro fertilizer is effective in preventing decay and increasing the Mazafati yields (Roosta 2002).

5.3.2. Storage and packaging

The biggest problem in date industry is changing its physical-chemical properties because of inappropriate maintenance conditions during storage and poor packaging. Temperature and packaging techniques are effective factors in the postharvest period (Zanoni et al. 2007). Microbial and physiological decay increases in inappropriate conditions. Mold and fermentation are the main reasons of microbial decay. Bad smell or taste is related to its physiological decay (Barreveld 1993). Quality of date is in close relationship with its chemical, physical, mechanical, and rheological properties. The quality of the fruits is affected by proper maintaining conditions that are polygalactronaze causes them to be soft (Ismail 2008).

Packaging leads to physical protection, storage, marketing, and quality maintenance. It not only decreases its external and internal decay, but will also help its better and easier transportation. In other words, packaging of date is a technical-economical function, the main purpose of which is to minimize the distribution costs, maximize selling, and distribute it safely until it is given to the consumers (Mohajer 1993).Some other problems in storage and packaging date in Iran are its non-standard storage, shortage in the storing space, keeping fruits in open areas, accumulating different types of dates in unhealthy conditions, non-standard harvesting and processing, and shortage of freezers in date planting areas (Ghasemkhani 2007)

CONCLUSION Date, due to its high nutritional value, is one of the popular fruits in the world. Since this fruit grows

only in warm deserts, it can be an economic product in the countries that host this tree. The south of Iran is a hot area and has diverse high quality cultivars; therefore, Iran is the second most important producer of date in the world, despite of which, it does not hold a high rank in exporting date. In Iran, Bunch withering and post-harvest losses are the most important reasons of decline in production and fruit quality, respectively. During the last few years, improving and standardizing the packaging industry and materials have led to an increase in the amount of date exported by Iran. It seems that investment and research in this field can increase the income from this valuable fruit.

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Journal sponsorship Azarian Journal of Agriculture is grateful to the University of Maragheh and its faculty members for their ongoing encouragement, support and assistance.