JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND POSTHARVEST RESEARCH 2020, VOL. 3(1), 85-100 University Journal homepage: www.jhpr.birjand.ac.ir of Birjand Variability of physicochemical properties of ‘Deglet Nour’ date fruits collected from different oases in Djerid Region, Tunisia Rihab Taha1*, Ben Maachia Sihem2, Sindic Marianne3, Sahli Ali4, Namsi Ahmed2 and Messaoud Mars5 1, Institut Supérieur Agronomique, 4042 Chott-Mariem, University of Sousse, Tunisia 2, Regional Research Center in Oasis Agriculture of Degache, road of Tozeur Km1, 2260 Degache, Tunisia 3, University of Liege, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech. Laboratory of Agro-Food Quality and Safety, Passage of the Déportés 2, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium 4, National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia, Rue Charles Nicolle, 43, 1082 Tunis, Mahrajene, Tunisia 5, U.R. Agrobiodiversité, Institut Supérieur Agronomique, 4042 Chott-Mariem, University of Sousse, Tunisia A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Original Article Article history: Received 23 June 2019 Purpose: Quality and physical characteristics of date palm changes during growth and maturation stages of fruits in main production Revised 7 August 2019 areas in the south of Tunisia. Research Method: The effect of Accepted 31 August 2019 season, ripening date and climatic conditions (temperature and Available online 30 September 2019 relative humidity) on physicochemical characteristics of fresh dates “Deglet Nour” grown at four different oases were evaluated using Keywords: multivariate analysis. Main findings: Dates from Traditional maturation Mountain Oases (TMO) had the highest values of length, width, weight, moisture content for the two seasons. Those from Modern oases Palm Plantation (MPP) had the highest values of fiber content, Phoenix dactylifera water activity, glucose and fructose in 2014. In 2014 and 2015, date physicochemical properties palm fruits of Modern Continental Oases (MCO) had the highest values of sucrose. The lower values of the different parameters Tunisia were registered for dates from Traditional Continental Oases (TCO). DOI: 10.22077/JHPR.2019.2569.1066 Meteorological data from the experimental station recorded higher P-ISSN: 2588-4883 temperature and relative humidity during fruit maturation (July, August and September) in 2014 compared to 2015. Results showed E-ISSN: 2588-6169 that the good quality of dates was obtained in oases TMO that had higher relative humidity and lower temperature compared to other *Corresponding author: oases (MPP, MCO, and TCO). Such changes may have resulted from Institut Supérieur Agronomique, 4042 earlier pollination and higher temperatures during the maturation Chott-Mariem, University of Sousse, period. Considering the two seasons 2014 and 2015, the highest Tunisia. thermal coefficients were observed in MCO (3726 and 3704, E-mail: [email protected] respectively) and the lower ones in TCO (3083 and 3025, respectively). Research limitation: No limitations were founded. © This article is open access and licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License Originality/Value: Seasons and oases climate significantly affected http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ which the physical and biochemical quality characteristics of date palm permits unrestricted, use, distribution and fruits. This engendered in the longest maturity period recorded in reproduction in any medium, or format for any TCO. MPP where we recorded the highest spring temperatures, purpose, even commercially provided the work is properly cited. showed the shorted development cycle. Chitranshi et al. Variability of physicochemical properties of date fruits Taha et al. Castro, C. D. P. C., Faria, J. & Dantas, T. B. H. (2014). Evaluating the performance of coconut fiber Table 1. Average of heat units for 2014 and 2015 at different Djerid oasis (calculated from the data recorded by and wood straw as cushioning materials to reduce injuries of papaya and mango during the meteorology stations at TMO, TCO, MPP and MCO) transportation. International Journal INTRODUCTIONof Advanced Packaging Technology, 2(1), 84-95. Date palm oases Heat Units (°C) 2014 Heat Units (°C) 2015 https://doi.org/10.23953/cloud.ijapt.10 MPP 3456.44 3376.8 Chandra,South Tunisia D., & isKumar, the main R. (2012). region Qua producinglitative effect date palmof wrapping (Phoenix and dactylifera cushioning materialsL.) fruits on(Besbes guava TCO 3542.54 3493.49 et al.,fruits 2009 during). More storage. than HortFlora 300 cultivars Research of Spectrum, date palm 1(4), are 318 present-322. in Tunisia. Deglet Nour MCO 3726 3704.68 Chauhan,production S. in K., Djerid & Babu, region D. isR. the (2011). most Useplanted of botanicals: date palm Avariety new prospective(70% of the for 5.9 enhancing million treesfruit TMO 3083.52 3025.14 in allquality oases) over because chemicals of inits an characteristics era of global climatefor both change. nutritional Asian andJournal sensorial of Environmental properties (MARHPScience,, 2016 6(1),). 17 -28. Table 2. Development stages recorded for Deglet Nour dates sampling Creelman,In Tunisia, R. A., the & export Mullet, value J. E. of (1995). dates isJasmonic around 486.5acid distributionmillion dinars in plants:annually regul (113.800ation during tons Date of sampling June July August September of Degletdevelopment Nour andfruits) responses. The Djeridto biotic region and abiotic (governorate stress. Proceedings of Tozeur) of is the one National of the Academy important of S3 S4 S5 S6 areasSciences producing USA, high 92, 4114 quality-4119. of Deglethttps://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.92.10.4114 Nour fruit (Fruits, 2016). Stage of sampling Davidson, P. M., & Taylor, M. T. (2007). Chemical preservatives and natural antimicrobial Kimri Khalal Rutab Tamar Cultivar growing in this hot arid region faces environmental stress such as drought, compounds. Food Microbiology: Fundamentals and Frontiers, Washington, DC: American salinity,Society and for heat, Microbiology which limit Press tree, 713 growth-734. https://doi.org/ and productiv10.1128/9781555815912ity (Youssef & Awad, 2008). One of Phenological characteristics the major problems in some zones of the Djerid region is a regression in quantities and Dates of pollination and fruit maturity (Tamar stage) were recorded for all oases for the two DebMandal, M., & Mandal, S. (2011). Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.: Arecaceae): in health promotion qualities of Deglet Nour fruits. The most likely reason for regression in quantities and quality seasons. and disease prevention. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine, 4(3), 241-247. https://doi.org/ of Deglet10.1016/S1995 Nour fruits-7645(11)60078 is the impact-3. of climate change and cultural practices (Shabana & Al Donsì,Sunbol, F., 2007 Annunziata,). Disturbances M., Vincensi, in the M., timing & Ferrari, of fruit G. (2012).tree development Design of nanoemulsion have been -observedbased delivery as a Date samples Collection resultsystems of recent of natural climate antimicrobials: change. The effect major of effect the emulsifier. of temperature Journal should of Biotechnology be the advancem, 159(4),ent 342 of- Fruit samples were taken monthly and for the different phenological stages (Table 2) the 350.phenological https://doi.org/ stages10.1016/j.jbiotec.2011.07.001. (the period of maturity will be advanced from 3 to 5 weeks), which according to the method of Girard (1980). Samples were taken from 5 different trees for each Droby,can pose S., quality Porat, problems R., Cohen, of the L.,Weiss, product byB., theShapiro, advancement B., Philosoph of the -sensitiveHadas, S., stages & Meir,(Lavelle S. oases. Twenty homogeneous fruits of each sample were individually analyzed for et al.,(1999). 2008 Suppressing). High temperatures green mold cause decay a highin grapefruit risk of scaldingwith postharvest and disturbance jasmonates of application.flowering, morphological and physicochemical characteristics. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science , 124(2), 184-188. pollination and fruiting periods (Seguin & Stengel, 2002). The fruits of the date palm go https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS.124.2.184 Dubey,through N., distinct Mishra, development V., & Thakur, stages D. (2018). known Plant locally based asantimicrobial kimri, khalal, formulations. rutab and Postharvest Tamar. Morphometric characteristics Commercially, these fruits are consumed at khalal and Rutab stages as fresh fruits and at Fruit weight measured with an analytical balance, Fruit length and width were recorded for all Disinfection of Fruits and Vegetables, 1, Elsevier Academic Press, 322-331. Tamar stage as dried fruits (Singh et al., 2012). The development duration of date fruits and sampled fruits at the different maturation stages with a vernier caliper. Measures were taken https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812698-1.00011-X their physical and chemical characteristics vary greatly with seasons and environments (Al- twice per each fruit on twenty fruits for each sample. Fallik, E., Arhbold, D. D., Hamil ton-Kemp, T. R., Clements, A. M. , Collins, R. W., & Barth, M. E. Farsi(1998). et al., (E) 2007-2-Hexenal). Given can thestimulate above, Botrytis the objective cinerea growth of this in vitrostudy and was on strawberryto evaluate fruit the in morphologicalvivo during andstorage. biochemical Journal ofproperties the American of datesSociety «Deglet for Horticultural Nour» from Science four, 123,oases 875 at- 8the88. Physicochemical characteristics Djeridhttps://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS.123.5.875 region (southern Tunisia) during the maturation stages