Evaluation of Some Chemical and Sensory Properties of Date Syrup, Date Concentrate, Date Liquid Sugar in Comparison With Sugar Solutions

Date syrup, date concentrate and date liquid sugar are among the products which are produced from low quality dates in date processing plants. The aim of this research was to investigate chemical characteristics and sensory properties of date syrup, date concentrate and date liquid sugar in comparison with sugar (sucrose) solutions and evaluate possible substitution of sucrose with these date by products from different technological aspects. Firstly date syrup, date concentrate and date liquid sugar were produced in an industrial scale production line and then chemical composition including moisture, ash, protein, pH, fat, Brix and fatty acids were determined. Then solutions with concentrations similar to most food applications were prepared from date syrup, date concentrate and date liquid sugar and their sensory properties (sweetness, consistency, flavour, color and overall acceptability) were measured and compared with their corresponding sucrose solutions. The chemical composition results showed that date syrup had more nutritional compounds than date concentrate and date liquid sugar. Sensory results also revealed that date liquid sugar was more similar to sucrose solutions than date syrup or date concentrate, although date liquid sugar has been refined extensively and therefore more beneficial compounds have been eliminated.