Fruits
Dates (Fresh) in gelato
Fresh (soft, Medjool-type) dates are the whole fruit of Phoenix dactylifera used as a natural sweetener and flavor paste in gelato. About two-thirds of their weight is sugar, almost entirely glucose and fructose, giving them very high anti-freezing power.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 78.7% |
| Water | 21.3% |
| Sugars | 66.5% |
| Fat | 0.2% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 1.8% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 81 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 126 |
Typical use: 8-15% of the total mix (as date paste); 4-8% when used mainly for background caramel notes.
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Dates are added as a blended paste for caramel-toffee flavor plus natural sweetening. Because roughly 66 g per 100 g is invert-type sugar (glucose plus fructose, PAC around 190 each), their PAC is about 126 versus sucrose 100 - so dates lower the freezing point strongly and yield a softer, scoopable texture. POD is moderate (around 81), so they sweeten a little less than their sugar weight suggests. When formulating, count date sugars toward the total sugar budget and reduce added sucrose/dextrose, or the gelato will freeze too soft and melt fast. Their fiber and non-sugar solids also add body, useful in vegan and 'no-added-sugar-style' bases.
Origin & background
The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is among the oldest cultivated fruit crops, grown across Mesopotamia and the Arabian Peninsula for at least 6,000 years. The prized Medjool cultivar originated in Morocco; in 1927 just nine disease-free offshoots were imported to the United States to establish the California and Arizona date industry, from which nearly all Western Medjool production descends.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central - Dates, medjool (water 21.33 g, total sugars 66.46 g, carbohydrate 74.96 g, protein 1.79 g, fat 0.15 g, fiber 6.71 g per 100 g), mirrored at https://www.nutritionvalue.org/Dates%2C_medjool_nutritional_value.html
- Date Fruit Composition and Nutrition (dateshub.org): https://www.dateshub.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Date_Fruit_Composition_and_Nutrition-1.pdf - fresh/soft dates ~35-50% total sugars at rutab stage rising to 66-72% in soft/ripe stage; invert-sugar type, glucose+fructose dominant
- Al-Farsi & Lee, 'Nutritional and Functional Properties of Dates: A Review' (Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr.): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23413061_Nutritional_and_Functional_Properties_of_Dates_A_Review - Medjool ~71.8 g total sugars with glucose ~34 and fructose ~37.8 g/100g (dry-matter basis), sucrose near zero (invert type)
- Nutritional review of date varieties (ScienceDirect): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666833524001278 - dates at edible stage are predominantly reducing sugars (glucose and fructose), most sucrose inverted