Vol. 7, Issue 8, Part A (2025)

The chemical characterization of fresh present (sap) juice and traditional gur derived from date palm (Phoenix sylvestris) remains an essential step in understanding their nutritional value, antioxidant potential, and suitability for functional food applications. Fresh present juice is known to contain a diverse profile of bioactive compounds, including phenolics, flavonoids, reducing sugars, vitamins, and mineral constituents, which collectively contribute to its therapeutic relevance and industrial utility. Gur, produced by concentrating sap through controlled heating, undergoes significant chemical transformations that influence its antioxidant activity, sugar composition, and overall nutritional profile. This research investigates the antioxidant properties and reducing sugar composition of fresh present juice and gur using standard chemical assays, aiming to delineate the influence of thermal processing on nutrient retention and oxidative stability. Using validated analytical procedures such as DPPH radical scavenging activity, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and Lane-Eynon titration for reducing sugars, the research reveals substantial variations in chemical constituents between juice and gur. Fresh present juice exhibited relatively higher phenolic and flavonoid activity, whereas gur demonstrated enhanced reducing sugar concentration due to thermal inversion and moisture reduction. The findings support earlier observations that heating causes partial degradation of heat-sensitive antioxidants while increasing the concentration of carbohydrates per unit mass. Overall, the results highlight the unique nutritional composition of date palm derivatives and emphasize the significance of processing conditions in determining final product quality. The research contributes to strengthening the scientific foundation for quality evaluation, product standardization, and potential commercialization of sap-based foods. Furthermore, the chemical profiles presented here may facilitate future research toward functional food development and therapeutic applications based on date palm products.