Barhi dates cultivar (Phoenix dactylifera L.) at Khalal stage of maturity was characterised by its sweetness, crunchiness, and bright yellow colour. Non-destructive and quick tools are necessary to evaluate fruit quality during post-harvest operations. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is an effective method to detect quality parameters for several fruits. In this study, NIR was utilised to correlate quality parameters (total soluble solids, moisture content, and b* colour) at five stages of maturity (from Khalal (green, to yellow), and Rutab (brown) with spectrum analysis. Barhi quality parameters were found to correlate well using NIR with a high coefficient of determination (R²) 0.97 for TSS; 0.94 for MC; and fair of 0.64 for b* colour. It can be concluded that NIR is an effective non-destructive tool to predict fruit quality of Barhi at different stages of maturity during various %post-harvest operations.

This study investigated the nutritional, microbial, and sensory quality attributes of a fermented milk (laban) drink flavored with date syrup (dibs) during cold storage at 4 °C for 7 days. Date syrup was added to laban in specific proportions (2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, and 15% date syrup/total weight of flavored laban) and an appropriate percentage (12.5%, 74 °Bx) was selected based on the sensory preference of panelists. The results indicate that flavoring laban with date syrup affected the physicochemical, nutritional, microbial, and sensory quality attributes of the product in different ways. Incorporation of date syrup in fresh laban drink significantly increased the pH, ash, protein, total solids, sugars, and magnesium (p < 0.05). However, acidity, fat, casein, lactose, calcium, total microbial count, and total yeast and molds count were decreased (p < 0.05). During storage, acidity, ash, and microbial load were concomitantly increased, while fat, casein, total solids, and sugars showed a concurrent reduction as the storage period progressed. The panelists preferred the freshly prepared flavored laban drink compared with the stored one, which is not surprising. After 7 days of storage, flavored laban drink was more acceptable than a non-flavored one. The findings of this research will help in fortifying dairy products with dates to create highly nutritious drinks without the addition of artificial additives, refined sweeteners, and preservatives, which at the same time would be accepted by consumers.