Assessment of Date Fruit and Derivative Consumption Patterns and Their Nutritional Contribution to Daily Intake in Biskra, Algeria
Copyright © 2026 Amel Barkat, Abdelnacer Agli, Hayat Trabsa
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Background: Date fruits nutritionally dense staples with a long history of dietary application, particularly in arid regions. Despite their recognized nutritional value, empirical data on actual consumption and their quantitative contribution to daily nutrient intake remain limited.
Aims: This study aimed to investigate the consumption habits associated with date fruits and their derived products, and to evaluate their contribution to the daily nutritional intake of the population in Biskra, Algeria.
Participants and Methods: A cross-sectional, face-to-face survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 108 participants residing in Biskra between 2022 and 2023. The questionnaire encompassed three sections: sociodemographic characteristics, consumption behaviors related to dates and their derivatives, and a 24-hour dietary recall.
Results: A total of 10 date cultivars and 19 derivative products were reported. Deglet Nour was the most frequently consumed cultivar (41%), while the most prevalent derived products were Makroud (22.4%), Bradj (21.1%), and Rfis (19.7%). The highest consumption percentage (34.69%) occurred during the afternoon snack period. The mean annual intake was estimated at 11.24 ± 14.88 kg/person, with an annual frequency of weekly consumption (60.19%). Participants from higher-income households exhibited significantly greater consumption of date-based sugar (p = 0.018), chocolate spread (p = 0.018), and chocolate bars (p = 0). Consumption of Ziraoui and El Marsa derivatives was significantly associated with participants originating from Batna and Oued Souf, respectively (p = 0.000 for both). The contribution of dates and their derivatives to daily dietary intake was 3.47% for energy, 5% for carbohydrates, 1% for proteins, and 1% for lipids. All participants reported consuming dates or their derivatives, with mean daily consumption of 3 ± 4 dates/day. Employees exhibited the highest daily contribution of dates to caloric (p = 0.022); carbohydrate (p = 0.032), protein (p = 0.023), and lipid (p = 0.027) intake among occupational groups.
Conclusions: This study emphasizes the substantial role of date fruits and their derivatives in the daily diets of the Biskra population and demonstrates that how consumption behaviors are influenced by certain sociodemographic factors.
Keywords
How to Cite
Ahmed, I. A., Ahmed, A. K., & Robinson, R. K. (1995). Chemical composition of date varieties as influenced by the stage of ripening. Food Chemistry, 54(3), 305–309. https://doi.org/10.1016/0308-8146(95)00051-J DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0308-8146(95)00051-J
Aleid, S. M., Al-Khayri, J. M., & Al-Bahrany, A. M. (2015). Date palm status and perspective in Saudi Arabia. In J. M. Al-Khayri, S. M. Jain, & D. V. Johnson (Eds.), Date palm genetic resources and utilization (Vol. 2, pp. 49–95). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9707-8_3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9707-8_3
AlFaris, N. A., AlTamimi, J. Z., AlGhamdi, F. A., Albaridi, N. A., Alzaheb, R. A., Aljabryn, D. H., Aljahani, A. H., & AlMousa, L. A. (2021). Total phenolic content in ripe date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.): A systematic review and meta-analysis. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 28(6), 3566–3577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.03.033 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.03.033
Al-Farsi, M., Alasalvar, C., Morris, A., Baron, M., & Shahidi, F. (2005). Comparison of antioxidant activity, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and phenolics of three native fresh and sun-dried date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) varieties grown in Oman. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 53(19), 7592–7599. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf050579q DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/jf050579q
Al-Mssallem, M. Q., Elmulthum, N. A., & Elzaki, R. M. (2019). Nutritional security of date palm fruit: An empirical analysis for Al-Ahsa region in Saudi Arabia. Scientific Journal of King Faisal University (Basic and Applied Sciences), 20(2), 47–54.
Al-Shahib, W., & Marshall, R. J. (2003). The fruit of the date palm: Its possible use as the best food for the future? International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 54(4), 247–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/09637480120091982 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09637480120091982
Ali, F. (2026). Sample size practices and guidelines in services marketing survey research. The Service Industries Journal, 46(7-8), 623–648. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2026.2612706 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2026.2612706
Ashraf, Z., & Hamidi-Esfahani, Z. (2011). Date and date processing: A review. Food Reviews International, 27(2), 101–133. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2010.535231 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2010.535231
Ayad, A. A., Williams, L. L., Gad El-Rab, D. A., Ayivi, R., Colleran, H. L., Aljaloud, S., & Ibrahim, S. A. (2020). A review of the chemical composition, nutritional and health benefits of dates for their potential use in energy nutrition bars for athletes. Cogent Food & Agriculture, 6(1), Article 1809309. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2020.1809309 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2020.1809309
Ben Mya, O., Ben Amar, L., Zarroud, B., & Hammami, H. (2017). Deglet Nour dates Phoenix dactylifera L.: An alternative source to sugar in Algeria. Sugar Tech, 19(3), 337–340. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-016-0462-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-016-0462-x
Similar Articles
- Hypertension in Moroccan adults: sociodemographic, lifestyle, and dietary risk factors
- Understanding Bread Consumption and Waste Patterns in Algeria and Tunisia: Insights into Consumer Practices and Challenges
- Investigation of total aflatoxin in nuts and dried fruits and consumption habits during pregnancy in Türkiye
- Relationship between intake of energy-dense diets and nutritional status of adolescents in primary schools in Nairobi City County, Kenya
- Sex and income level can be determinants for meat attachment behavior among Turkish university students
- Effect of healthy lifestyle promotion on anthropometric variables, eating behavior and cardiometabolic risk factors in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Household Knowledge of Iodized Salt and Iodine Content of Dietary Salt in Morocco Further 25 Years of Universal Salt Iodization: A National Cross-Sectional Study
- Cross‐sectional association between lifestyle behavior and cardiometabolic biomarkers in west Algerian postmenopausal women
- Comparative Analysis of Nutritional Profile of a Formulated Composite Milk Alternative and a Conventional Infant Formula
- Advantages and Drawbacks of Plant-Based Beverages as Alternatives to Animal Milk: A Multidimensional Review
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
NAJFNR is licensed under 