1.

1) History

Date or Palm is one of the oldest and most sacred fruit trees that are known for human being.
Based on ancient findings, emersion of palm in the world, relates to second period of geology,
but discovering values of this fruit by mankind relates to 6000 B.C. Some of agricultural
researchers believe that early origin of this plant is Asia and Persian Gulf shores and some
other believe that initial settlement is south of Africa or subcontinent of India. They claim that
archaism of planting palm in Iran relates to 6 thousand years ago and believe that Iranian
people before other nations in the world have discovered the alimentary and especially
therapeutic value of this product that currently is produced in 30 countries.

Date in date-prolific areas such as southern Iran, Iraq, northern Africa, Egypt, and Australia
and northern of India has been discovered and used. Palm usually grows in areas that are
located between 12 and 37 N and also grows in regions above 37 oN but although is fruitless.
This plant has been mainly cultivated in most regions of world, because of their so sweet
fruits. In ancient times It existed in a great extent, between Nile and Euphrates and it has been
said that range of spread was from Senegal to basin of Indos in north of India, also it has been
especially noticed as reproductivity and birth symbol and nomadic have planted it in oasis of
deserts. Arabians carried date with themselves to Spain. Also, Afterwards, gradually this fruit
have been taken from Asia and particularly Middle East to Australia and America continental.
Also Spanish explorers introduced it to New Mexico and California, such that California is one
of producers of date. Date has been planted in south of Italy, sassily and Greece but didn’t
yielded considerable and eatable fruits in these regions.

1.2) Definition of Product

Palm tree is plant of Palmaceae family and scientific name Phoenix dacylifera L. that is two-
based and height of stem is different in various types and reaches up to 20 meters. Palm plant,
ignoring variety is a tree with straight-stem that it’s height reaches up to 30-36 meters. Palm
trunk is made of residues leftover from leaf sheath. Leaves are feather-like, big and have 6
meters length. Every leaf has come out of sheath that is surrounded with fibers. Small and
aromatic flowers appear on both masculine and feminine.
1-2-1) methods of reproduction palm

Around 16 years old tree, there are many ratoons that each of them can be transferred to a
suitable place and reproduce the plant. Palm tree generates pollens in large number that
move by wind, but don’t travel long distances. In palm gardens, each masculine is enough for
fertilizing and pollening 48 to 50 female trees. Nowadays in Saudi Arabia and certain regions in
Asia and Africa as well as California, due to making easy pollening, make use of artificial
pollening but in traditional pollening cluster of male burst flowers will be placed adversely on
that of female and tighten them to each other with a rope, so that take place pollening by
growing and loosing cluster. In some cases, they dry pollens and keep them in appropriate
temperature range, for 6 months. Reproducing palm tree is possible by seed and mainly by
transferring ratoons that are appeared around parent plant. Yield level of 5-8 years old palms
is about 8-10kg, but in 13 years old palms reaches up to 60-80kg. Some of renewed types
produce 100kg fruits.

1-2-2) growth and fostering stages

Dates are consumed in at least three stages of growth. Since when they are dry and
premature, until they are watery and soft. Date fruit from generating time until maturation
must traverse 4 stages that are:

1) First stage that lasts 17 weeks and its product is green, stiff and bitter fruit and its sugar
reservoir are glucose and fructose.

2) second stage lasts 6 weeks .in this stage fruit is stiff yet but it’s color changes to yellow-
orange or red and it’s sugar reservoir is mainly sucrose

3) Third stage that is called ‘Rotab’ lasts 4 weeks. Fruit is semi-matured and brownish in this
stage.
4) Fourth stage lasts 2 weeks. In this stage fruit is mature and is picked when its color is light
yet and due to being more matured, is kept in appropriate temperature conditions.
Temperature conditions and period of being stored differs depending on type of date.

1-2-3) regions of growth and fostering dates

Palm trees, in warm and full sun conditions, grow and yield rapidly. In regions, not having such
suitable conditions, tree may grow but wouldn’t yield fruit. Minimum required temperature in
growth and blossom period, is about 5.17 0C and only yield fruit in regions that growth period
is warm and long and is rainless or low-rain. Date plant is resistant against thirstiness but
requires water for yielding the best fruit. This plant prefers gravel, calcic and clay soil and
generally grows in heavy and well drained soil. Proper soil ventilation is one of important
growth factors. Date is greatly resistant against alkaline earth and is partly resistant against
salinity of soil. But excess salinity, affects negatively on yield and fertilizing level.

1-2-4) Date-producing provinces in Iran

Date-producing provinces are following in terms of importance degree:

Khuzestan , Kerman, Hormozgan, Sistan & Baluchestan, Jiroft and kahnuj region, Fars, and
Bushehr that all are in southern and warm and dry regions.

Sentences that will appear below are region categorization in terms of climate conditions,
which are 7 regions that have remote differences in growth and development palm trees:

1- Tropical regions of central Zagros (Ghasr-e-shirin)

Having shrubbery ecology with 150 mm winter rain that has a risk of glacial, summer
aggregate times reaches 5400 hours and is suitable for some kinds of date.

2- Tropical region of Khuzestan

 Having shrubbery ecology with 125-350 mm winter rain that has a less risk of glacial,
summer aggregate times reaches up 5710 hours.

3- Tropical and seasonal regions of southern Zagros (Fars and Kohkiluye)

Partly shrubbery ecology with 100-290 mm rain and little glacial risk with aggregate
temperature time up to 3060 hours

4- Costal tropical region (Bushehr and Hormozgan):

Semi-equator ecology, with 25-216mm rainfall, without glacial risk and aggregate of 6330
hours.

5- Tropical seasonal region (Kerman and Jiroft):

Partly shrubbery ecology with 120-250mm rainfall, without glacial risk and aggregate of 3400
hours.

6- Southern tropical region (Sistan & Baluchestan)

Semi-equator dry ecology with 60-150mm rainfall, without glacial risk with aggregate times of
5850 hours

7- Northern tropical region (Yazd and southern Khorasan)

Shrubbery ecology with 60-250mm rainfall and with little glacial risk and aggregate times of
3375 hours.

1-2-5)Areas under cultivation,yield level and performance of date in Iran

Areas under cultivation

Areas under cultivation of palm gardens in Iran, with taking account diffuse trees was about
230000 hectares in 1382, that 83.12 percent of those, are prolific tree and 16.88 percent of
remainder trees are abortive (scion).

191000 hectares of prolific trees, about 88.8 percent of them are irrigated. Most of prolific
area of date in Iran belongs to Hormozgan. Sistan & Balochesta, Khuzestan, Fars, Jiroft, Kahnuj,
kerman provinces with 40.34, 60.16, 13.14, 13.27, 12.71, 9.87 percent respectively, from
Grown area of prolific date in Iran are in next places. These Seven Provinces that are
mentioned above totally bear 98.23 percent of share in area prolific of date.

Yield level

Yield level of date in Iran is about 965000 tons that 98.08 percent of this product is from wet
and watery regions. Share of product of Deim region is 3.92 percent. Most of date-production
in Iran belongs to Kerman with 16.58 percent of share in production and is in the first place.
Provinces Hormozgan, Sistan & Balochesta, Jiroft, Kahnuj, Fars, Khuzestan and Bushehr have
14.68, 14.24, 14.22, 13.50, 13.10, 12.75 percent of share respectively in Iran date-production
and are in next places. Seven mentioned provinces produce 99.06 percent of date in Iran.

Performance per one hectare

Product level in each hectare for watery regions is 5499kg and for Deym region is 1672kg.
Maximum yield of watery date-production belongs to Kermanshah province with 8500kg and
minimum of yield of watery production belongs to Semnan province.

Maximum Performance of Deym belongs to Bushehr province with 2607kg and minimum
Performance of Deym belongs to province of Fars with 865kg.

1-3) Types of date

According to any type of dates, climate conditions and market demand in any stage, dates
have different types.
*Dry date

Is a matured date that its moisture is under 18 percent.

*Semi-dry date

Is a matured date that it’s moisture is from 18 to 20 percent.

*Soft date

Is a matured date that it’s moisture is from 20 to 23 percent.

*Rotab

Is a matured date and full of molasses that it’s moisture ranges from 23 to 38 percent.

4-1) Alimentary value of date

Date fruit is composed of two parts: pit and edible part, that it’s edible part is consist of some
types of sugars, water, mineral material, vitamins, cellulose, and so on. Date has many
protein, fat, and hydrocarbon. Also has included many hydrocarbon, protein, calcium,
phosphor, iron and so on.

The main materials that form date are:

-moisture

-protein, fat

-fiber

-vitamin, mineral material (B1, B2, A, C, E…), potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, manganese and …

-sugar, saccharose, glucose and…

-organic material as organic acids and … .

Levels of vitamins and chemical material and organic in date are in tables 2 and 3

1-4-1) Consumption purposes

Date is a delicious fruit and is a most valuable and energy-making food. It is considered as a
main and tonic food in date-producing regions. Date usually is used fresh or used for providing
foods such as cake, cookie, types of sugar, bread’s date, ice cream, jam, jelly, juice, molasses,
vinegar, alcohol.

In addition to date fruit, all other parts of palm are used, including:

Spoilage of date fruit is used in transmute and pastry industries. Pit of date, after grinding, can
be used for feeding cow cattle. Fruit leftovers are also used for feeding cattle and poultry. In
Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire people extract molasses and alcohol from date’s latex. Date’s pit
powder is also used for feeding chickens. In Italy and Spain, palm leaves are used in religion
ceremonies. In northern Africa, the leaves are also used for building cottage, hut, basket, and
ventilator and so on. Woody Leaf-tails of dates is source of cellulose and also is used for
making sweep, wand, fishing cork and even for fuel. Old palm trunks are used in making some
parts of Dav (some kinds of wind boats in Persian gulf), water cutters and bridges. Palm leaves
and branches are used in paper industries and manual industries including making bag, basket,
straw, rope and so on, and also for covering roof of buildings. In addition to all of that, date
fruit has medical purposes. The date’s pit oil is used in making soap and production
ornamental matters.

1-4-2) medical attributes

Date has many attribute such as:

-anti cancerous property

Researches about date indicate that this fruit can be a prophylactic to many cancerous such
colon cancerous, stomach and so on. Date by restraining free radicals can prevent molecule
destruction and spurt due to this radicals.

- Compounds that are existent in date can destruct all superoxides. It’s worth to said that this
radicals that are main free radicals in biological systems, can be converted to active species in
human body such as hydroxyl radical, proxile and aloxile. Date latex also destructs hydroxyl
radicals.

- Date is useful for curing illnesses such as artery blockage and diabetes that are caused by
free radicals.

Another property is being lenient.

Another is neutralizing excess acids in stomach.

Also it is suggested for healing anemic.

- Eating date is a familiar method for having comfortable sleep and curing many infectious
diseases.

- Date has medical properties due to having some extents of tannin, vitamin A, thiamin,
riboflavin, niacin, ascorbic acid and tryptophan and so on and is used for healing cold, throat-
ache, fever, gut and liver problems.

- Due to having sugar, vitamins and mineral substances like iron, potassium, zinc, manganese,
is best fruit for supply energy and strengthening sex drive.

- Date is useful for lessening alcoholic poisoning.

- There is a extract of date cluster sheath that is called Taruneh (Kashkilo) that has medical
usages.

1-4-3) for export date products and extracts

Date is one of main agricultural products and about 60% of its dried weight is sugar. Due to
poor quality of produced date, about 30% of produced date, won’t be directly transferred to
the consumer’s market and must be converted to valuable products in producing and
converting industrial units. These products are categorized to yeast and non-yeast products.
Since this date has a great extent of sugar, so is used as carbonic source in yeast processes.

Most important yeast products are:

1- Ethanol: the alcoholic fermentation of sugary matters is a biochemical process that is

carried out by saccharosis serous. For producing ethanol from date, first we need to
decoction it, so that sugar is extracted from date. Level of produced sugar in decoction
process depends on various parameters such as system’s continual or steady state, being
one or two-stages, time, heat and so on.

2- Vinegar: producing process of vinegar from date includes two stages, anaerobic
fermentation of product of alcoholic’s fermentation’s liquid and then fermentation
aerobic of product of alcoholic’s fermentation’s liquid to vinegar. Anaerobic process that
is conversion of produced palm sap to alcoholic fermentation’s liquid, is like ethanol
process. Alcoholic fermentation’s liquid converts to acid acetic by aceto bacter’s bacteria.
The output liquid consists of 4-6 percent acid acetic. The solution that was discussed
above after pasteurization is presented to market as vinegar.

3- Citric acid: Citric acid is the most useful organic acids in industries of alimentary,
medicinal and sanitary that in fermentation’s process is produced by micro-organism
aspergillus niger from sugar matters. Date is a carbonic source for fermentation’s
processes because it has great percents of monosaccharide’s sugars. Citric acid is
produced in soaked and surface culture. In soaked culture, fermentation’s process is
done in big fermentators along with much volume of fermentation’s liquid. In surface
culture, micro-organisms grow on waterless solids. In process of producing Citric acid of
date, first we do decoction from date, then do obliteration and metallic ion separation
 and fermentation, in the end fermentation’s liquid, enters to downmost part and finally
we have Citric acid. Production of this matter is accomplished in laboratory phase and
there are not any experimental results in the world about pilot and industrial scale. so for
industrializing this process we must manufacture this product in semi- industrial scale
and if successful, design and production must be done in industrial units.

4- Making single-cell protein (SCP): single-cell protein of drying cells of micro-

5- organisms such

6- as bacteria, yeast, moulds, fungi, algae and mushrooms that are cultivated in a great
scale and is used as protein source for human and animals. Single-cell protein, will be
substitute for all or part of cattle and poultry, due to high reproduction rate, high protein
content, ability to use cheap carbon sources and etc. date’s leftovers have sugar
compounds and are suitable source for manufacturing SCP.

7- Making fat matters from date: sugary matters will be converted to fat in yeast process by
micro-organisms of penicillium lilacume and penicillium soupy (zalski) that by extraction
method, net product of fat will remain.

Most Important in non-zymotic products of date are:

1-juice of date: the molasses of date is generally derivative product of date that is produced in
indoor or industrial units. For producing it, we mix dates with certain amount of water, then it
will be warmed and soluble matters and will be extracted from water. This extracting process
is carried out in one or two stages and efficiency is about 60-80 percent, based on soluble
matters. Afterwards this extract will be refined and finally Tabrix 75 will condensate. Date’s
extract refinery process is done for getting apart non-sugary matters.

2-Liquid sugar: we can produce liquid sugar from extracted juice of date by doing further
refinery and condensation. Refinery process, discussed above, constitutes of using ion
exchange columns, decolorization, making apart mineral and heavy matters. One of properties
of this sugar is not being crystallization, so it is not Crystallizable and can compete well, with
Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC).

3-Date’s nectar and rolled-sloe: in addition to that, date’s pit, constitutes 6-12 percent of
date’s weight.

Most important products of date’s pit:

1- Date’s pit oil: this Light-greenish-yellow oil can be made of date’s pit. Its Specific
weight is 0.9207. Fatty acids such as linolenic ,leoric, miristic, palmatic is available in it.
oil’s extraction from date’s pit, is made with solvents such water, tetrachloridecarbon,
hexane, heptanes, that experience shows that hexane solvent is more appropriate.

2- Date’s Konjale: after the extraction process of date, in making nectar and liquid sugar,
Konjale will be remain. It constitutes about 30% of date’s weight and includes protein
matters, fibers, fat, ash and sugary matters and is used as cattle feeding.

3- Palm’s wood and yarns usages: we can use date’s wood sugar for making fibers and
wood. Date’s yarns are used for yielding cellulose, lignin, furfural as well as paper.

1-4-4-1) xarak date

Is one of physiological growth stages of date that in general has solid tissues and the color is
variant, depending to palm type.

1-4-4-2) Pyazem dates

This brand has long length and dry tissue and dark brown color and color of xarak is brownish.
Skin is frail and desirable type of it is produced in Hormozgan province, Hadji Abad city.
Categorization

Pyazem date is categorized based on size (numbers per 500g) equal to table 1 in 3 categories:

1-4-4-3) Rabi Dates

This type of date is long and blackish dark-brown. Its Xarak is red and desirable type of that is
mainly produced in Iranshahr, Jiroft and Kahnuj.

Categorization

Rabi date is categorized based on size (numbers per 500g) equal to table 1 in 3 categories:

1-4-4-5) Karot dates

This type has light color and Xarak is yellow and its desirable type is produced in Kerman
province, Bam city

Categorization

Karot date is categorized based on size (numbers per 500g) according to following table:

1-4-4-6) Kalute dates

This type has blackish brown color and its Xarak is yellow. Kalute date is mostly produced in
Kerman province, Jiroft and Kahnuj cities.

1-4-4-7) Mazafati dates

This type has blackish dark-violet color, is fleshy, juicy, delicious and desirable type is
produced in Bam city.

Categorization

Mazafati date is categorized based on size (numbers per 500g) according to following table:

1-4-4-8) Halile’e Dates

Fruit of this date type is coarse and yellow and its Xarak is also red. This type has thin skin and
so soft and decayable tissue. This can is mainly produced in Jiroft, Kahnuj and Bam cities.

1-4-4-9) Shahati Dates

Main distribution of this species is mostly in Fars province. Its fruit is long, color ranging from
goldish yellow to light brown and it’s desirable type has very good quality and is delicious that
is mostly produced in Jahrom and Hafr and it’s suburb. In Firokarzin, Firooz Abad , Larestan,
Fasa and Darab regions this date type has less quality in terms of properties and standards
and is usually used in industrial purposes.

Categorization

Shahani date must be unique slick and is categorized based on size (numbers per 500g)
according to following table in three categories:

1-4-4-10) Khase dates

Khase dates based on their brand and growth place are seen in a variety of colors such as light
and goldish yellow to light brown, from sard red to dark brown and from deep red to blackish
dark violet.

1-4-4-11) dry dates

These types are mostly product of Sistan & Baluchestan, Kerman and some places of Fars
regions in Iran that have warm and dry climate. Dry date has a fragile, smooth and shiny skin
and sometimes skin is apart of flesh and in some others is fully sodden and attached to flesh.
Dry date types are converted to soft date by means of processing and moistening and we can
increase moisture up to 35%.

1-4-4-12) Ghasb (Zahedi) Dates

Ghasb is one of date types that its appearance properties is almost multi face, hard, shiny and
sodden that sometimes fruit skin is fully attached to flesh or sometime depending on climate
conditions in terms of temperature, surrounding moisture as well as being waterfull or
waterless region, in some parts of fruit, skin is apart of flesh. This fruit in vertex is dingy(limpid
brown to dark red) and in end near lid is pale pink or purple pink. Pit in this types is apartable
and inside attached to fruit like a white and so tenuous curtain and is distinguish between
flesh and pit that in some times depended pit with flesh and some time is distinguished to
edible part. The best of ghasb’s Iran’s types is Zahedi’s palm’s product that it’s propagation’s
stead resume from Ghasre Shirin in Bakhtaran province, Khuzestan and Bushehr province to
Ghir and Karzin in Fars’s province.

1-4-4-13)Kabkab dates

This type have big fruit and it’s color is like dark onyx red to brown like black and have a small
pit. The best type of this, more production in farms in Vazirrah from Sa’dabad’s part from
Bushehr province and Khesht and Kenar takhteh from Fars province. In general Kabkab dates
is product in this regions: Borazjan, Shabankareh, Sa’dabad, Dalki(Dashtestan), Ahrom,
Khormoj(Dashti), Khesht and Kenar takhteh.

Categorization

Kabkab dates must be slick and divisions on based date’s number in 500gr in this bottom
table: