Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Date fiber, a byproduct of date syrup (Debis) extraction influences serum lipid concentrations in rats fed 0.2% cholesterol

Author(s):

Abdelhamid Kerkadi

Recieved Date: 2006-05-19, Accepted Date: 2006-09-20

Abstract:

Dietary fiber has been recognized as an important dietary constituent, which posses a wide range of positive properties. It was found that some components of dietary fiber, particularly soluble in water, might influence lipid metabolism. Many sources of dietary fiber have been tested in animals and humans. The scientific community continues to search for new sources of dietary fiber. Date is one of the most important fruit crops in the United Arab Emirates. Dates are a good source of fiber and other nutrients. They are commonly eaten with milk, yogurt or coffee. They are also used to produce Debis, a date syrup extraction. The effect of date fiber (DF), a by-product of date syrup (Debis) extraction on lipid metabolism was investigated in male Sprague Dawley rats adapted to 0.2% cholesterol (CHO) diets. The rats were divided in four groups of 5 animals. The basal diet consisted of AIN 76 diet. The control group (C) consumed the basal diet with 0.2% of cholesterol. To the control diet 2, 3 or 5% of DF were added. Plasma total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG) and the ration HDL-C/LDL-C were measured. The results showed that the addition of 2, 3 and 5% of DF did not affect weight gain, feed intake and feed efficiency. The addition of 5% DF to the diet significantly (P< 0.05) increased HDL-C (40.2 vs 21.9 mg/100 ml; +83%), lessened the rise in plasma LDL-C (24 vs. 47.3 mg/100 ml; -97%) and increased the HDL-C/LDL-C ratio (1.6 vs. 0.5; 220%). The addition of DF to diets containing 0.2% CHO did not affect total cholesterol and triglycerides. These results demonstrate that DF possesses hypolipidemic effects that are evident when it is added to the diet of rats fed cholesterol. Date fiber can be used to develop functional foods with health benefits for consumers. The advantage becomes more economically sound if these food can be developed from by-products.

Keywords:

Date syrup extraction, Debis, date fiber, HDL, LDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides, by-product, serum lipid

---

Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2006
Volume: 4
Issue: 3&4
Category: Food and Health
Pages: 10-14

---

Full text for Subscribers

---

Information:

Note to users

The requested document is freely available only to subscribers/registered users with an online subscription to the Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment. If you have set up a personal subscription to this title please enter your user name and password. All abstracts are available for free.

Article purchasing

If you like to purchase this specific document such as article, review or this journal issue, contact us. Specify the title of the article or review, issue, number, volume and date of the publication. Software and compilation, Science & Technology, all rights reserved. Your use of this website details or service is governed by terms of use. Authors are invited to check from time to time news or information.

---

Purchase this Article:   20 Purchase PDF Order Reprints for 15

---

Share this article :