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Adding date syrup in foodstuff’s formula not only improves the nutritional properties of food but also is a good substitute for white sugar and even other sweeteners.
Date syrup is one of the most valuable secondary products of dates, full of natural sugars like Fructose and Glucose. Physiologically Fructose doesn’t need insulin to be absorbed; therefore is full of energy and a prominent sugar for people suffering from diabetes.
Moreover date syrup has considerable amount of iron, Calcium and Potassium, making it a good nutrients for children, pregnant women and old people. In developing countries diabetes is the fourth cause of death, main reason of blindness and eye diseases of adults. It is one of the most prevalent metabolic disorders, infecting 6% of the global population.
As sugar is one of the main reasons for dental caries, glucose intolerance, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, hypertension and behavioral complications such as hyperactivity in children, many researchers have been investigating the effect of various substitutes for white sugar including date syrup as a popular replacement for Sucrose.
R.A. Alamer et al., 2014 investigated the influence of date syrup as a sugar substitution on the physical properties and sensory attributes of cookies.
Results demonstrated an increase in firmness and moisture content of cookies supplemented with syrup. The diameter and spread ratio of cookies indicated a decline with increasing levels of date syrup.
Also date syrup makes darker cookies. Sensory evaluation outcomes showed that cookies with acceptable preference could be supplemented up to 75% with date syrup and can be produced at a commercial scale.
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Another investigation by A. Manickavasagan et al., 2013 developed a traditional Indian breakfast called Idli with date syrup instead of sugar and compared two types of Idli with each other. It was shown that total phenol and vitamin C contents of idli with date syrup were significantly higher than idli with added sugar.
Fourteen panelists evaluated two types of Idli and in all sensory attributes Idli with date syrup was scored higher preference or at least equal preference with control idli that had white sugar combination.
There are ample opportunities to educate people about preparation and consumption of traditional foods with date syrup in order to reduce added sugar intake.
Amoot Iranian Trading Company as a famous supplier of various kinds of Iran date, especially Mazafati Date, plans to add secondary products of date in its product list. Trying to supply all kinds of Iranian fresh and dried dates as well as secondary products of dates including date syrup, date paste, and date powder are some of Amoot Iranian long term goals.