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Date press cake is a by-product of date fruit juicing that has remained underutilized in the food industry. This is mostly due to the lack of information and technical knowledge about its chemical composition, nutritional value, health benefits and possible effects on the quality of food products upon inclusion. The main aim of this research was to determine the chemical composition, bioactive compounds and functional properties of date press cake to promote its food applications as an economical and available functional ingredient. The research was carried out on ground date press cake obtained from Shahani dates with two particle sizes of 355 µm (coarse) and 167 µm (fine). On average, Shahani date press cake contained 13.37% moisture, 4.92% fat, 6.35% protein, 11.74% crude fiber and 79.06% carbohydrate. Fructose was the main simple sugar, magnesium was the major mineral, oleic acid was the predominant fatty acid, and phenolic compounds were the main antioxidant. The chemical composition and functional properties of the date press cake were affected by its particle size. The coarse sample had lower fibre, oleic acid, total phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant activity than the fine sample. However, the fine sample had higher sugar and fat content and exhibited higher water holding capacity and solubility than the coarse sample.
 

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Date Press Cake (DPC) is a by-product of date fruit juicing, which has remained mostly underutilized in food products. The main objective of this research was to investigate the viability of adding DPC in cake formulation. Thus, different levels (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40%) and particle sizes (210 µm= DPC₂₁₀ and 500 µm= DPC₅₀₀) of DPC were used in cake formulation. The results showed that DPC had higher fiber, ash, and fat content than cake flour. Increasing the level and reducing the particle size of DPC increased batter consistency, firmness, stickiness, cohesiveness and viscosity. Inclusion of DPC increased cake density, reduced pH and crust moisture content, but these were not affected by DPC particle size. The samples became harder and less cohesive as the level of DPC increased. DPC₂₁₀ resulted in softer and less cohesive cakes compared to the DPC₅₀₀. Addition of DPC improved the antioxidant content of the cakes, particularly when DPC₂₁₀ was added. Overall, the sample produced with 10% DPC₂₁₀ had acceptable sensory characteristics.