PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

The growth in date production industries resulted in a significant accumulation of date palm wastes, especially the seeds, which poses environmental issues and escalates processing and storage expenses. Appropriate characterisation of this product would mitigate these issues while adding commercial value through beneficial nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications. Current research highlights the ultrasonication process parameters required for extracting the maximum yield of antioxidant activity from Phoenix dactylifera Medjool seeds utilising Response Surface Methodology (RSM). A Box-Behnken design has been adopted to determine the impact of 3 extraction variables, namely ethanol (EtOH) concentration (XA), ultrasonication duration (XB), and temperature (XC), on antioxidant activity evaluated through hydroxyl radical (OH•) scavenging activity. The results portrayed that the experimentally obtained value was consistent with the predicted output, affirming the reliability of the model employed for optimising the extraction methodologies. The extraction at 79% EtOH, for 45 min, at 40°C provided the highest antioxidant activity recorded at 87.40% ± 1.29. Two compounds, namely, 1-O-caffeoyl-β-D-glucopyranoside and genistein-7,4'-di-O-β-D-glucoside, categorised to the group of caffeic acid and flavonoid derivatives supported the higher antioxidative response obtained. Our study indicates a suitable technique for extracting Medjool date seeds phytocompounds of therapeutic benefits, applying a modern statistical tool (RSM), which offers a more cost-effective and less labour-intensive optimisation process compared to conventional methods. The outcome also presents bioactive phytocompounds from Medjool date seeds that strengthen the role of this candidate for nutraceutical purposes.