Indian Journal of Agricultural Biochemistry

In Arab countries, dates (Phoenix dactylifera) constitute an essential part of the human diet and is a significant traditional crop. It contains vital components such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrate and dietary fibres, as well as has certain health advantages. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of dates paste on the nutritional composition, physical attributes, and sensory qualities of cookies when used as a natural sweetener in place of sugar. One control and four experimental cookie samples (designated as T₀, T₁, T₂, T₃, and T₄) were prepared using different percentages of sugar substituted with 0 g, 5 g, and 10 g, 15 g, and 20 g dates paste per 100 g of refined wheat flour. 9-point hedonic scale was used to assess the samples’ colour, texture, taste, flavour, and overall acceptability by 10 semi-trained panelists. The nutritional contents (ash, moisture, crude protein, crude fat, carbohydrate, crude fibre and calorific value) of cookie samples were examined. The samples had 7.5%-V10.26% moisture, 0.34%-V0.76% ash, 7.84%-V8.42% crude protein, 5.61%-V 6.7% crude fat, 1.64%-V2.24% crude fiber, and 71.61%-V73.19% total carbohydrates. The data collected revealed that increasing the date paste ratio increased the contents of moisture, ash, crude fat, total carbohydrates and crude fibers in samples. However, thickness, diameter, and spread ratio all decreased. As the replacement ratio increased, colour received a low score for organoleptic qualities. According to our research, the cookies supplemented with 20% date paste were not very well-liked. But substitution ratio of 15 g, had higher acceptability in terms of colour, texture, taste, flavour and also did not negatively affect their quality (p≥0.05). Finally, it can be claimed that using dates paste in the commercial production of cookies is highly advised, since nutritional content of samples increased by raising the date paste content.