Evaluation of Heavy Metals, Aflatoxins and Microbial Contamination in Sayer Date

According to the nutritional investigations, date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.) has a good nutritional value and is potentially a strategic export product due to its widespread cultivation in Iran. Date fruit plays an important role in the diets of Iranian people. For these reasons, monitoring the quality and safety of date is necessary and essential. In this survey, 15 samples of different brands of sayer date fruit were collected through Ahvaz market in order to analyse the heavy metals namely Pb and Cd, as well as Fe, Cu and Zn and detect aflatoxins B and G and evaluate the microbial contaminations. Sample preparations of date fruit were carried out according to AOAC 999.11 (Pb, Cd, Fe, Cu and Zn), ISIRI 6872 (aflatoxins) and ISIRI 10899-1 (yeast and mold) standard methods. The mean values of Pb, Cd, Fe, Zn and Cu were 0.062, 0.040, 4.6, 1.5 and 2.5 µg g-1, respectively. There was no evidence to verify aflatoxins B and G existences in the collected samples. Microbial experiments have been performed on yeast and mold in date fruit samples. The results indicated no microbial contamination except in one sample suspicious to the presence of mold that was over the tolerable level according to ISIRI 16217. According to the results, the date fruit distributed in Ahvaz city was relatively healthy and safe to be consumed.