Storage Induced Changes in Chemical Composition and Nutritive Value of Date Palm Fruits, Pits, and Fronds for Use in Animal Feeding | ||||
| Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences, H. Botany | ||||
| Volume 16, Issue 2, December 2025, Page 1-14 PDF (760.03 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/eajbsh.2025.443474 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Hala M. A. Farrag 1; Hamed M. Gaafar2; Mostafa M. A. El-Nahrawy2; Ezz G. Gadalla1
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| 1Central Laboratory for Date Palm Research and Development (CLDPRD), Egypt. | ||||
| 2Animal Nutrition, Animal Production Research Institute, Egypt. | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| This study investigated the effects of storage on the proximate composition, fiber fractions, and nutritive values of various date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) by-products including fruits, flesh, pits, and leaves. Chemical analyses and nutritional estimations were conducted in triplicate for statistical reliability. Results indicated that, storage samples showed significantly (P<0.05) reduced the contents of protein (CP), fat (EE) and carbohydrates (NFE), but significantly (P<0.05) increased the contents of fiber (CF) and its fractions (NDF, ADF, ADL, cellulose and hemicellulose) of the date palm fruits, flesh and pits compared to fresh samples. Also, storage samples tended to significantly (P<0.05) decreased nutritional values in terms of total digestible nutrients (TDN) and digestible protein (DCP) compared to fresh date palm fruits, flesh and pits. Concerning date palm leaves, dry significantly (P<0.05) reduced the contents of protein, fat and carbohydrates but significantly (P<0.05) increased the contents of dry matter (DM), fiber and its fractions and subsequently had a significant (P<0.05) decrease in nutritional values (TDN and DCP) compared with fresh and silage. Therefore, it is necessary to find a good way to store date palm fruits, flesh and pits or including it in animal feed formulas to preserve their chemical composition and nutritional values. Regarding palm leaves, they should be used in animal feed in fresh form or preserved in the form of silage to keep their chemical composition and nutritional values. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Date palm fruits; flesh; pits; leaves; chemical composition; nutritional values; storage; silage | ||||
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