H. Taouda , R. Chabir, F. Errachidi1,, L. Aarab
The present study investigates the correlation between phenolic, Flavonoid compound content and antioxidant activity of date fruits. Phenolic content values range from 1.5 to 4.5 mg /100 g fresh weight exprimed as Galic acid equivalent (GAE). Total flavonoids content (TFC) of studied date varies significantly (p < 0.05) from 0.010mg to 0.38 mg/100g fresh weight exprimed as quercetin equivalents (QE). The antioxidant activity of methanol extract evaluated using the DPPH method, and examined by comparison to controls (BHT and Vitamin C). The highest inhibition of oxidation was attained in Bouskri variety, which was 88.88% at 40μg/mL concentration of phenolic compounds. Correlation (R2) between Phenolic compound content and antioxidant activity range from 0,8 to 0,9. However lower correlation was obtained in Deglet Baida variety with (R2 = 0.6). The high correlation coefficient indicates that phenolics are one of the main compounds responsible for the scavenging effect of date varieties. The date fruit could be a good source of antioxidants, which may have healthy benefits for humans.