Date molasses, date palm molasses, date syrup
Dates, the fruits of the date palm tree Phoenix dactylifera L., are stored traditionally in woven baskets made of palm fronds. When bagged humid dates are heaped for several months, syrup exudes from the packages and collects in a connected series of channels that lead to a sump. Date molasses is removed from the sump and sold according to cleanliness and quality, mostly for human consumption. This product is of lesser quality than date syrup produced by extraction and boiling at farm level or on a semi or full industrial scale (Ramadan et al., 1973; Ramadan, 1998).
Date by-products are available in countries of production (see Distribution in the Date palm fruits datasheet). Date molasses is available where dates are packed or processed.
The by-products of date production have always been recycled by farmers and local populations, a practice that has been considered as "an eloquent example of integrated sustainable use of renewable material resources" (El-Mously, 2001). There is a long tradition of using cull dates and date pits to feed animals, and the crop residues serve as raw materials to create household items, furniture and building materials (El-Mously, 2001).
Data are lacking about the composition of date molasses. The more refined date syrup contains 25-30% water, about 2.4-3.9% DM of crude protein and 1.8-2.3% DM of ash. Sugar is the main component and, unlike cane molasses, date molasses sugar is mostly containing reducing sugars (Ramadan, 1998).
In Nadji lambs, diets supplemented with date molasses gave poor live-weight gains compared to a concentrate-supplemented diet (Ramadan et al., 1973).
Heuzé V., Tran G., 2015. Date molasses. Feedipedia, a programme by INRAE, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. https://www.feedipedia.org/node/8013 Last updated on May 11, 2015, 14:35