Supercritical and Subcritical Extraction of Date Fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.) and Their Phytochemical Composition

The Phoenix dactylifera, a tropical and subtropical tree of the Palmae family (Arecaceae), commonly known as the date palm, holds the distinction of being one of the earliest crops cultivated by man. Date palms come in several varieties due to the fact that are cultivated in different places with different Ecologic environment characteristics in especially North Africa and the Middle East. In this work the optimum extraction conditions of the phytochemicals compounds from the edible part of the fruit and the seeds between those varieties using sub and supercritical fluids and allow their characterisation and to determine their antioxidant activities and composition. In this sense the date kernel oil obtained by supercritical CO2 yielded up to 9% with a fatty acid composition similar to olive oil, which demonstrates a good way for valorization of date by-product. Meanwhile, date flesh extract provided high antioxidant activity associated to phenolic compounds, especially using high temperatures (150 ºC) and pressurized ethanol for the extraction.