Date Powder – Organic

Organic Date Powder is made from Deglet Noor dates that are carefully dried and finely ground, creating a naturally sweet powder with a rich, caramel-like flavor. This versatile ingredient blends smoothly into smoothies, shakes, baked goods, and desserts, offering a simple way to add natural sweetness to recipes.

Shelf-stable and easy to use, it can be sprinkled into oatmeal, yogurt, sauces, or beverages. With its smooth texture and delicious taste, organic date powder is a convenient pantry staple for both everyday cooking and creative recipe development.

About Our Organic Date Powder

Fun and exciting facts about Deglet Noor and dates in general

1. There are around 2500 species of date palms, producing around 6000 varieties of dates worldwide.
2. The majority of dates grow in North Africa and The Middle East.
3. Date palms grow around 70 feet tall; a single tree can produce 200-300 pounds of dates per season.
4. Deglet Noor Dates is known as the mother of all dates.
5. Deglet Noor means “date of light.”
6. Dates are energy-packed, calorically dense foods containing around 70-100 calories per date.
7. While all dates contain three forms of sugar (glucose, fructose, and sucrose), each variety has a different balance of these sugars based on the level of ripeness.
8. For example, Medjool dates are high in fructose and have almost no sucrose, while Deglet Noor Dates perfectly balance all three sugars.
9. In general, younger dates have more sucrose. However, as they ripen, the sucrose turns into fructose and glucose.
10. Because Deglet Noor contains a perfect balance of all three sugars, they are considered one of the most versatile dates.
11. Dates are one of the oldest cultivated fruits on earth, estimated to have originated around 3000 BC.
12. By weight, dates contain one and a half times the amount of potassium found in bananas (100 grams- dates 650 mg, bananas 420 mg).
13. The word date comes from the Greek word dactyls, meaning finger.
14. Date fruit pits/stones are used to make soap and makeup.
15. On average, Egypt produces 1.7 million tons of dates annually, making it the world’s largest producer of dates.
16. Around 3% of the earth’s farmland is covered in date palms.
17. In the Middle East, it is tradition that when a son is born, they plant him a date tree. The purpose is to grow together and ensure the family never goes hungry.
18. It has been said that an adult can survive on the consumption of 15 dates daily.
19. Dates are delicate fruits and, therefore, must be harvested by hand.
20. Dates have a naturally low water content. The average fruit ranges from 75-95%; however, dates are less than 30% water.

Like many other foods, dates have a generally accepted grading system based on size, color, and ripeness. While opinions vary, and each date variety has its unique flavor and texture, it is generally accepted that the following varieties are deemed premium in the date world. These are in no particular order.

1. Deglet Noor Dates are touted as the best-known variety of dates and are prevalent in cooking, baking, and traditional cuisines. They are yellow to amber in color with a semi-dry texture. However, their firm flesh makes Deglet Noor Dates ideal for slow-cooking with lamb, creating delicious snacks by baking them stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon, or producing date sugars and syrups.
2. Ajwa Dates, which are black in color, have excellent lines and prune-like texture, originate in Saudi Arabia, and are cultivated in limited amounts; they are celebrated as “holy dates.” These dates are of the dry variety, mildly sweet, with a balanced fruity flavor profile.
3. Khidri Dates is the most well-known Egyptian date within the world-famous Batell variety. Amber and dark in color with flaky skin, Khidri dates have a soft and chewy texture with a raisin-like flavor and caramel-like aftertaste. It is known for having a great chew and mild sweetness.
4. Medjool Dates is the world’s most popular date and is well known for being grown in Morocco and California. Medjools are known for their thick outer skin. However, their popularity is based on their plump and moist texture, caramel taste, and intense notes of vanilla, making them perfect for supporting and creating a wide range of texture and flavor profiles.
5. Segai Dates have an unusual multi-hued appearance with a lighter rim and saffron, dark orange body. They are native to Saudi Arabia. These dates are firm and crunchy with a mild brown sugar flavor profile and are paired well with oranges and various roasted nuts.
6. Wanan Dates is one of the date connoisseurs’ top picks for a genuinely datelicious experience as they are mildly sweet and very chewy. They are known for their slightly spicy aroma with strong notes of cinnamon.

Sugar in Dates

As stated above, dates are energy-packed, calorically dense foods containing 70-100 calories per date with a carbohydrate content ranging from 65% to 83%. While all dates contain three forms of sugar (glucose, fructose, and sucrose), each variety has a different balance of these sugars based on the level of ripeness.

In general, younger dates have more sucrose, and as they ripen, the sucrose turns into fructose and glucose. 

For example, Medjool dates are high in fructose and have almost no sucrose, while Deglet Noor Dates perfectly balance all three sugars. Because Deglet Noor contains a perfect balance of all three sugars, they are considered one of the most versatile dates in terms of flavor profile.

However, it is essential to note that how the body uses sugar depends on the amount already in your bloodstream. If the amount is high, the newly digested sugar gets converted into fat or glycogen, which is essentially glucose in storage form for rapid use. In addition to sugars, dates are a great source of fiber. 

Resistant Starch

Dates (along with baobab, green bananas, and unripe papayas) are part of a unique group of foods known as resistant starches. Resistant starches are dietary starches that do not break down into sugar and resist digestion in the small intestines.

Resistance starches bypass the small intestines, getting digested in the stomach and going to the colon, where the fiber is fermented, producing short-chained fatty acids and giving energy to colon cells to promote the growth of good gut bacteria.

This unique property of resistant starches specifically benefits gut health, creating a cascade of incredible effects on overall well-being.

It is generally agreed upon that three types of resistant starches exist.

1. Resistant Starch Type 1: Seeds, legumes, and grains fall into this category. Your small intestines have trouble digesting the starches within them.
2. Resistant Starch Type 2: These are non-gelatinized particles that the small intestines can slowly digest, but not before much of it escapes into the large intestines. This category includes green bananas, raw potatoes, and high-amylose corn.
3. Resistant Starch Type 3: This type is cooked in water until fully hydrated, and the starch moves to the water and reform into structures that are difficult to digest after they have been cooled down. This category includes bread, cooked potatoes, and processed foods.

A review titled Resistant Starches for the Management of Metabolic Diseases looked at preliminary animal studies and human clinical trials, discussing the effects of resistant starches on metabolic conditions. The following was summarized: Data from both models support the role of resistant starches in improving various metabolic issues, although more research is needed regarding specific effects. Therefore, it was concluded that “the studies presented in this review offer new insights into the potential pathways by which resistant starches enhance metabolic health, including modulation of the gut microbiota, gut peptides, circulating inflammatory mediators, innate immune cells, and the bile acid cycle.”

Prebiotics

We can’t speak about resistant starches and gut health without delving into prebiotics and the potential that baobab has shown in preliminary studies. This area of study is consistently evolving as the list of foods containing these various fibers grows. The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics defines a prebiotic as “A substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit.” In simple terms, they are selected fermented carbohydrates that bring specific changes in composition and activity to the GI micro-flora, resulting in health benefits for the host. To be considered prebiotic, dietary carbohydrates must

1. Resist gastric acidity, gastrointestinal enzymes, and absorption
2. Get fermented by intestinal probiotic microflora
3. Selectively stimulate the growth and activity of probiotics.

The human gut microbiome contains more than ten trillion microorganisms with more than 1000 species of known bacteria. Prebiotics are identified based on the composition of their fiber content. Some types of bacteria that feed on inulin fiber turn into butyrate (the primary fuel source for the gut lining). In contrast, other probiotic microbes like bifidobacteria feeding on inulin-rich foods are known to perform many valuable jobs for your gut.

1. Maintaining a healthy gut pH through the production of lactate and acetate
2. Feeding other bacteria
3. Deterring pathogens
4. Supporting a healthy immune response
5. Making the B vitamins and vitamin K

Dates are a nourishing source of oligosaccharides. In simple terms, oligosaccharides are a carbohydrate chain comprising 3-10 simple sugar molecules. For example, sucrose comprises the two simple sugars fructose and glucose. However, there are many types of oligosaccharides, and some of them include the following.

1. Fructooligosaccharides(FOS)
2. Galactooligosaccharides(GOS)
3. Gluco-oligosaccharides
4. Arabinooligosaccharides(AOS)

The following was stated in a preliminary study discussing the impact of date palm fruits and their component polyphenols on gut microbial ecology, bacterial metabolites, and colon cancer cell proliferation.

1. The bacterial metabolism of whole date fruit led to the production of SCFA
2. the production of flavonoid aglycones (myricetin, luteolin, quercetin, and apigenin) and anthocyanidin petunidin in less than one hour was also observed.
3. The potential of Date Digested Extract, Date Polyphenol Extract, and metabolites to inhibit Caco-2 cell growth was investigated, indicating that both could potentially act as antiproliferative agents in vitro following a 48-hour exposure.

Therefore, it was concluded that together, these data suggest that consumption of date fruits may enhance colon health by increasing beneficial bacterial growth and inhibiting the proliferation of colon cancer cells. However, this is an early suggestion that date intake by humans may aid in maintaining bowel health and even reducing colorectal cancer development.

Like many other foods, dates are also a powerful source and superstar of several of the most potent polyphenolic compounds being researched in food science. Polyphenols are a term used to describe a general category of compounds found in a broad spectrum of fruits, vegetables, and tea that work as “reducing agents” along with other compounds known as antioxidants to support a healthy inflammation response and the body’s ability to protect and repair damaged tissue caused by oxidative stress. While over 8,000 polyphenols have been identified, some of the most common are flavonoids, flavonols, and anthocyanins.

The following was stated in a comparative study on the Phenolic composition and antioxidant capacities of ten Algerian date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars.

1. Ten date cultivars were rich in phenolics, flavonoids, flavonols, and condensed tannins that are capable of blocking the action of reactive oxygen species involved in human diseases.
2. The data of this study also indicated that the cultivars had a diverse range of bioactive constituents and thus may provide significant protection against the oxidation of essential biological macromolecules.
3. As indicated by HPLC/DAD, the phenolic profile revealed nine constituents that were tentatively identified and quantified. Gallic acid was the predominant phenolic acid identified in all date cultivars.

Summary of Important Information

Z Natural Foods hand-picks specific ingredients for our customers based on three concepts to provide the best quality product possible to support optimal well-being.

1. Versatility
2. History of safe and effective usage
3. Strong evidence of positive research outcomes in humans

Sugar in Dates

1. Dates are energy-packed, calorically dense foods containing 70-100 calories per date with a carbohydrate content ranging from 65% to 83%.
2. While all dates contain three forms of sugar (glucose, fructose, and sucrose), each variety has a different balance of these sugars based on the level of ripeness.
3. In general, younger dates have more sucrose.
4. As dates ripen, the sucrose turns into fructose and glucose.
5. Medjool dates are high in fructose and have almost no sucrose, while Deglet Noor Dates perfectly balance all three sugars.
6. Because Deglet Noor contains a perfect balance of all three sugars, they are considered one of the most versatile dates in terms of flavor profile.
7. It is essential to note that how the body uses sugar depends on the amount already in your bloodstream. If the amount is high, the newly digested sugar gets converted into fat or glycogen, which is essentially glucose in storage form for rapid use.

Resistant Starch

1. Dates (along with baobab, green bananas, and unripe papayas) are part of a unique group of foods known as resistant starches.
2. Resistant starches are dietary starches that do not break down into sugar and resist digestion in the small intestines.
3. Resistance starches bypass the small intestines, getting digested in the stomach and going to the colon, where the fiber is fermented, producing short-chained fatty acids and giving energy to colon cells to promote the growth of good gut bacteria.
4. This unique property of resistant starches specifically benefits gut health, creating a cascade of incredible effects on overall well-being.

Prebiotics

1. A prebiotic is “A substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit.”
2. In simple terms, they are selected fermented carbohydrates that bring specific changes in composition and activity to the GI micro-flora, resulting in health benefits for the host. To be considered prebiotic, dietary carbohydrates must

A)Resist gastric acidity, gastrointestinal enzymes, and absorption B)Get fermented by intestinal probiotic microflora C)Selectively stimulate the growth and activity of probiotics.

Dates are a nourishing source of oligosaccharides. 

1. In simple terms, oligosaccharides are a carbohydrate chain comprising 3-10 simple sugar molecules.
2. For example, sucrose comprises the two simple sugars fructose and glucose.
3. However, there are many types of oligosaccharides, and some of them include the following: Fructooligosaccharides(FOS), Galactooligosaccharides(GOS), Gluco-oligosaccharides, Arabinooligosaccharides(AOS)

 

Miscellaneous Facts about our Organic Date Powder

Suggested Uses:  Add to your favorite drinks, smoothies, yogurt, recipes, or as a sugar alternative with added nutritional benefits.

Serving size: 2 tsp (7g)

Botanical Name: Phoenix dactylifera

Other Names: Deglet Nour, Heavenly date, Tunisian date, Queen of Dates, The Royal Date, Date of Light, and The Mother of All Dates, Semi-dry date

Parts Used: Pitted, whole date.

Ingredients: Organic Deglet Noor Dates

Origin: Grown and dried in Tunisia and packaged with care in Florida, USA.

Certifications: Certified USDA Organic.

Our Organic Date Powder is an absolutely wonderful product!