Abstract
Date syrup is a valued ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine and is widely used in the food industry for its sweetness and high nutritional value, prepared from fruits post-heat processing. The current study assesses the chemical composition of 7 commercial date syrup products (D1-D7) of different origins via a metabolomics approach using hyphenated UHPLC-MS and GC-MS techniques, followed by multivariate data analysis. Primary metabolites profiling via GC-MS assigned 36 peaks belonging to sugars, sugar alcohols, fatty acids/esters, alcohols, organic acids, and nitrogenous compounds. Sugars and sugar alcohols amounted for ca. 97.04%, dominated by mono-sugars. Aroma profiling using headspace coupled to GC-MS revealed 17 volatiles belonging mainly to furans, alcohols, and esters, with furans likely produced upon processing as a major class in most products at ca. 48%, except samples (D2 and D3) where alcohols predominated at ca. 64%. Classification of date products was more reliable using silylated metabolites than from the aroma dataset. UHPLC-MS analysis of date syrups identified 77 metabolites, of which 33 are reported herein for the first time in Phoenix dactylifera, including sugars, phenolic acids, flavonoids, lignans, and fatty acids, with the former being the most abundant. The antioxidant effect of date syrups was attributed to their relatively high total phenolic and flavonoid contents. This study provides, for the first time, detailed profiling of date syrups from various origins to elucidate their nutritional composition and potential health benefits.