Chemical fruit composition of Tunisian date palm 'Deglet Nour' collected at maturation from four different oases in Djerid region

The Deglet Nour in Djerid Region is the most popular variety of date palm. Our study aims to provide information about physicochemical properties of dates Deglet Nour at Tamar stage from different oases in Djerid Region. The date fruits were collected from four different oases at different locations in South Tunisia: Traditional Continental Oasis (TCO), Traditional Mountain Oasis (TMO), Modern Continental Oasis (MCO), and Modern Palm Date Plantation (MPP). Fruit size and weight, Total Soluble Solids (TSS), pH, Titratable Acidity (TA), Dietary Fiber (DF), Protein content (MPT) and sugars were studied. The obtained results showed that physiochemical properties varied significantly according to the locations. Fruits from all oasis may be considered suitable for marketing as Deglet Nour dates from well-known producing areas. TSS, pH, TA, MPT and sugars were significantly important in dates from TMO oasis.