Mazafati

Mazafati date palm in Bam

Fresh Mazafati of Iran (bottom right), in Saint-Girons (Ariège, France)

Mazafati or Mozafati (Persian: مضافتی‎‎)^[1] also called the Bam date, is a cultivar of the date. It is grown in southern Iran, mainly in Bam, Jiroft, Kahnuj (in Kerman province), Saravan, Nikshahr, Haji Abad and Iranshahr (in Sistan-o-Baluchestan province).^[2][3] It is a dark, soft, fleshy and sweet date of medium size (2.5 to 4.5 cm),^[4][5] with a relatively high moisture content of between 32-35%; it varies depending on the time of harvest and the location of the grove. The date is suited for fresh consumption, i.e. not dried.^[6] At a temperature of −5 degrees Celsius (23 °F) it can be kept for up to 2 years or 12 months at 0-5 °C.^[7][8] Mazafati Date harvesting time depends on the variety and starts in August, lasting to the end of October.^[5]

This variety is the most common variety fresh Dates for snacking and table eating.

As one of the largest growing regions of Mazafati Fresh Dates, Bam region has around 28000 Hectares of the lands under the harvest of mazafati date from which 5000 Hectares pertains to young palm trees.It is estimated that Mazafati dates account for 20% of Iran’s total export of dates.^[7] Approximately 120,000 tons of the date is being harvested from the land annually. Mazafati date palms can stay in production for over 60 years.^[9]

Mazafati date seeds are made up of 7.7-9.7% oil and make up 5.6-14.2% of the date’s weight. They contain 7.17-9% moisture, 1.83-5.3% protein, 6.8-9.32% fat, 65.5% carbohydrates, 6.4-13.6% fibre and 0.89-1.57% ash, as well as sterols, estrone and an alkali-soluble polysaccharide. The fatty acids contained in the oil are 8% lauric, 4% myristic, 25% palmitic, 10% stearic, 45% oleic and 10% linoleic, as well as some caprylic and capric acid.^[10]

Nutritional value

References