Date seed

Only a limited amount of information is available on the chemical composition and nutritional quality of date seed. Such information is essential if greater utilization of this potential source of raw material for human or animal diet is to be fully realized. 

The date palm Phoenix dactylifera L.) is an important member of the Palmaciea family. Over 70% of the world production of dates comes from Middle Eastern countries. It represents a major source of energy and other nutrients in the diets of millions of people in this part of the world. The major producers are Iraq, Saudi Arabia, North Africa and California. 

The seed represents about 10% of the fruit weight. Four cultivars in Israel were analyzed for their organic and inorganic constituents. The following ranges in values were obtained on the four cultivars on a dry weight basis oil (7.9-8.4%), protein (5.3-5.8%), ash (0.5-1.7%) and crude fiber (15.1-17.3%). The low protein content and the high fiber content will seriously limit the use of the defatted date seed meal for feeds if not supplemented (Devshony et al., 1992). 

Date seed oil is semi-solid at 5°C with an iodine value of 48-58. The most abundant fatty acids are oleic (41-44%) and lauric (19-24%) followed by m5ristic (9-12%), palmitic (8-19%) and linoleic (12-15%) (Table 7.8). Because the date seeds are available at no cost, the investment in a small scale extraction plant may be feasible and worth while (Devshony et al., 1992). 

Two cultivars grown in Saudi Arabia were analyzed for their chemical and nutritive value. The proximate analysis showed the date seeds con- 

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HOCH2(CHOH)4CONH.CH2.CH2OH mw 239.23, mp 109°, [a] D +34.15°. It was prepd by refluxing ethanolamine with a gluconic lactone derived from date seed... 

Ziziphus jujuba Mill. Z. spinosa Suan Zao or Suan Zao Ren (Jujube, Chinese date) (seed) Saponins, betulinic acid, betulic acid, betulin, jujuboside A, jujuboside B, sanjoinines, daechu alkaloids.133-44-53 For insomnia, neurasthenia, and irritation. 

Dates Phoenix dactylifera L.) are popular in most Middle Eastern countries and serve as a major source of food and nutrients (51, 52). Oil contents and fatty acid profiles of date seeds may vary among individual varieties. Date seeds contained 20-24% total fat (49). Oleic acid was the primary fatty acid in the date seed oil and had a concentration of 43.5 5% of total fatty acids. This was followed by lauric (12 0), myristic (14 0), palmitic (16 0), linoleic (18 2n6), capric (10 0), and stearic (18 0) acids along with trace amounts of other fatty acids (Table 7). Date seed oil may serve as an excellent dietary source of oleic acid with a minor amount of linoleic acid. 

Compared to other commonly consumed vegetable oils, date seed oil has a relatively lower degree of unsaturation and a low level of linoleic acid. Despite this, date seed oil has a good potential for use in human and/or animal diets. 

The meal obtained from the date pits was reported to have nutritional qualities better than many cereal grains and comparable to that of soybean protein. Tryptophan was the limiting amino acid. Sawaya et al. (1984) concluded that further animal experiments are needed to determine the safe use of date seed oil in human and/or animal diets as well as optimum levels of date seeds in animal feed. 

Foliar Fungicides and Bactericides. Of the - 70,000 t/yr as copper in compounds used in agriculture, almost 75% is used in the control of fungi (see Fungicides, agricultural). The first reference to the use of copper as a fungicide dates to 1761 (83) where copper sulfate was used on wheat seed for the control of bunt. In 1807 (84) the discovery of copper as a fungicide was made and the discovery of Bourdeaux mixture (copper sulfate plus lime) followed in 1882. 

Once the plant is ready, the cotton is mechanically harvested with either a spindle picker or cotton stripper. The spindle picker selectively harvests seed cotton from open boUs. The unopened boUs are left on the plant and can be picked at a later date. The spindle picker uses a rotating tapered barbed spindle to remove the cotton from the bur (seed case). The seed cotton is wrapped around the spindle, pulled from the bur, removed from the spindle with a mbber doffer, and then transferred to a basket. 

Because the gin capacity is usually not sufficient to keep up with the harvesters, the harvested cotton is often stored in a compacted module and ginned at a later date. The type of storage or seed cotton processing may place additional constraints on the harvest process. If the seed cotton is to be placed in module storage, the cotton should not be harvested until the moisture content is 12% or less and the harvested seed cotton should be free of green plant material such as leaves and grass. 

To date, 152 species of flowering plants belonging to 46 different families, as well as a few species of mushrooms, mosses, ferns, and lichens, have been screened. Extracts from 20 seed plants have shown enough inhibitory activity to warrant further study. Leaf extracts of members of three families, Liliaceae, Pinaceae, and Labiateae, show a high incidence of antiviral agents. Several members of the Capri-foliaceae, on the other hand, contain virus-stimulating agents. 

A single gene transformation crtB from Erwinia) was sufficient to increase carotenoid levels some 50-fold in seeds of canola (Brassica napus), which already contains low levels of carotenoids (Shewmaker et ah, 1999). This is the most spectacular increase in carotenoid levels of any plant to date. 

Bixin, a diapocarotenoid with a cis configuration at the carbon 9 and two carboxylic groups (one methylated), accounts for more than 80% of the total carotenoid content in annatto seeds, and has only been encountered to date in these seeds. The amount of red pigments in annatto seeds varies from 1.5 to 4%, depending on the variety. Bixin is the main pigment in commercial annatto powder... 

ATCC issues Certificates of Analysis with cultures. Although ATCC Certificate of Analysis do not meet the specific requirements of ISO Guide 31, they do show that the biological RM culture has been authenticated and/or specific characteristics have been verified. Each ATCC Certificate of Analysis is lot-specific and includes expiration dates, the specific seeds used for propagation, and selected biochemical and morphological characteristics that are indicative of the culture. ATCC also aims to provide a Product Sheet for each microbial culture, with instructions for propagation, special features of the organism, and any imusual observations or properties. 

In order to avoid the problems of weak signals from typical solid samples, all NMR/MRI signals from granular particles to date have been obtained with solid particles containing liquids. The majority of experiments have been done either with seeds that naturally contain oils, predominantly mustard seeds, or pharmaceutical pills that contain liquid cores. In some cases, however, solid beads were impregnated with liquid to make them NMR-visible. In one case, it was oil-soaked sugar particles [12], while in another, acetone was imbibed into catalytic materials... 

The cytolytic agent termed aponin has been characterized in terms of biological activity, and the results to date indicate a material that does not adversely affect the organisms tested. Material isolated from cultures of Nannochloris sp. also has some phytotoxic activity as evidenced by the assays with lettuce seeds, and some antifungal activity. The materials elaborated by Nannochloris sp. thus have environmental significance, but it must be admitted that the full significance of these materials, like others, remains to be fully appreciated. 

Besides being used in many applications involving historical problems, as in the examples shown above, radiocarbon has been successfully employed in the study of prehistory, where it represents the main source of time perspective. AMS in particular has helped in extending the possibility of 14C. For example, radiocarbon dating of single seeds, only possible by AMS, has contributed to the study of the beginnings of agriculture.[82]... 

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