Mineral fruit composition variation alongside Phoenix dactylifera L. cultivars dependently on geographical origin and agronomic traits

Date palm gives fruits that make a significant human dietetic through great amounts of different sugars supplement and of minerals. Water, ash and six minerals contents were investigated in dates of 131 individual trees. The geographical effect in mineral content was carried out on tow cultivars, Deglet nour and Alig. New oases of Jerid region, compared to other origins, gave date of Deglet nour with the highest levels of the studied parameters except for the ash and the Calcium contents which were stable between oases. However, old oasis of Jerid region had fruit Alig with the upper levels in phosphorus (0.1 g/100g), sodium (54.76 ppm), magnesium (0.05 g/100g) and iron (0.77 mg/100g); but the lowest in total mineral content (1.75 g/100g) and manganese (0.14 mg/100g). The effect of agronomic traits (maturity period and fruit consistency) was studied basing on 38 different cultivars. Concerning the maturity period, fruits of early ripening cultivars exhibited an elevated concentration in iron (0.87 mg/100g) and calcium (0.024 g/100g) in comparison with those of later maturity cultivars which had the highest ash percent (1.59 g/100g). For the fruit consistency, soft fruits showed the greater Iron content (0.84 mg/100g) but the dry ones exhibited the highest potassium content (0.57 g/100g). These results proposed to consumers that they have to consider the provenance, the fruit consistency and the maturity period which looks as a good indicator for mineral content.