The Nutritional Benefits of Deglet Nour Dates

Nutrition · 28 September 2026 · Sudattes export team

Dates have been a staple food in North Africa and the Middle East for thousands of years. Today, consumers everywhere look for natural, minimally processed foods, and dates fit perfectly. Here is what Deglet Nour dates bring nutritionally, and why food manufacturers use them.

Typical nutrition values

The table below shows typical values for Deglet Nour dates per 100 g, from the USDA FoodData Central database. Values vary with the harvest and the texture of the dates.

Per 100 g	Typical value
Energy	about 282 kcal
Carbohydrates	75 g, of which sugars 63 g
Dietary fibre	8 g
Protein	2.5 g
Fat	0.4 g
Potassium	656 mg
Magnesium	43 mg
Calcium	39 mg
Copper	0.2 mg

What makes dates special

• High in fibre: with about 8 g of dietary fibre per 100 g, dates are a particularly fibre-rich fruit. Fibre contributes to a feeling of fullness and to texture in food products.
• High in potassium: 100 g of dates provide about a third of the daily reference intake of potassium.
• Virtually fat-free: dates contain less than 0.5 g of fat per 100 g.
• Naturally sweet: their sweetness comes entirely from the fruit itself, with nothing added.
• Other minerals: dates also contain copper, magnesium, calcium and iron.
• Simple and natural: a whole fruit, vegan, and naturally free of gluten.

Why Deglet Nour?

Deglet Nour, the “date of light”, is prized for its translucent golden flesh, its semi-dry texture and its delicate, honey-like sweetness. Its texture makes it easy to store and transport, and very versatile in food processing. More than half of the world’s Deglet Nour palms grow in the oases of southern Tunisia. Read more about the origin of Tunisian Deglet Nour.

Benefits for food manufacturers

These natural qualities make dates a valuable ingredient for brands looking for cleaner labels:

• Replace refined sugar with a whole fruit, using date powder or date paste.
• Add fibre and texture to bars, cereals and bakery products with chopped dates.
• Offer a natural snack with pitted dates for retail.

Contact our export team to request samples, technical data sheets or a quotation.