Physico - Chemical , Rheological and Sensory Properties of Date Phoenix Dactylifera Var. Shamia Sheets

Shamia –dry variety- date pulp (45 oBrix) was used to prepare eight different treatments of date sheets. Citric acid, Na-metabisulfite, cloves and cinnamon were homogenized with date pulp and spread on aluminum trays, and then dried at 60 oC for 24 h. The sheets were rolled in a polyethylene bags till analyze for physical, chemical, and sensory properties as well as rheological properties of control sheet either before drying or after rehydration. Moisture content of the sheets ranged from 14.49 to 17.22%. Adding citric acid, Na-metabisulfite alone or as a mixture significantly decreased the color index and hydroxyl methyl furfural content, while increased the lightness value of the resultant sheets. Reducing sugars significantly increased by adding citric acid, while fiber content slightly decreased. There were some variations between the rheological properties of the date pulp before and after dehydration. While, date sheets containing citric acid or a mixture of citric acid with Na-metabisulfite had the highest organoleptic scores the sheets containing cloves and cinnamon had the lowest scores.