Fresh dates of the Barhi cultivar at the Khalal maturity stage are well known for their pleasant taste, crispy texture, and bright yellow color. One of the primary technical challenges is preserving the initial high-quality fresh Khalal Barhi dates and extending their shelf life for the longest possible period after harvesting and during the marketing process. Resolving this problem would permit the export of high-quality fresh Saudi dates to international markets. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of utilizing a pulsed electric field as a novel non-thermal postharvest processing technology for preserving the nutritional, microbiological, and physical quality of Barhi dates during storage at different temperatures and durations. To accomplish this goal, a five-factor mixed-level central composite rotating design (CCRD) with a response surface methodology (RSM) model was used to define the best PEF processing conditions and subsequent storage environments. The influence of independent factors, PEF intensity (10, 20, 30, and 40 kV/cm), PEF exposure time (40, 80, 120, and 160 ms), PEF numbers (50, 100, 150, and 200 pulses), storage temperature (1 °C, 5 °C, 15 °C, and 25 °C), and storage time (1 day, 6 days, 11 days, 16 days, and 21 days), on the total soluble solids, firmness, total color changes, total viable count, total phenolic content, DPPH antiradical activity, fructose, and glucose were assessed. The results indicated the optimal conditions of PEF treatment and subsequently storage conditions for conserving the quality and elongating the storability of fresh Barhi dates were: 10.3 kV/cm PEF intensity; 46.73 ms PEF duration; number of PEF, is 169.9 pulses; 18.7 °C storage temperature; and 21 days’ storage time. At the aforementioned optimal conditions, the values of total soluble solids (TSS), firmness, ΔE, total viable count (TVC), total phenolic content (TPC), DPPH antiradical activity, glucose, and fructose were 41.44%, 62.47 newton, 0.1, 0.098 log CFU/g, 1.29 mg GAE/g, 65.95%, 3.45, and 3.44, respectively. These values were comparable to the predicted values (Desirability value = 1), indicating that the applied RSM models were ideal for optimizing the PEF and storage conditions for preserving the quality and prolonging the fresh Barhi dates’ shelf life. Overall, the ideal PEF treatment and storage conditions for sustaining the quality characteristics of Barhi dates during an extended storage time were identified in this study.

The Barhi date is a high-quality date cultivar whose fruits (dates) are plucked and eaten fresh when they reach the Khalal maturity stage due to their sweetness, crispiness, and yellow skin color. After harvesting, Khalal Barhi fruits rapidly matured to the Rutab stage, where their tissues become soft and their skin color browner. This results in a decrease in their market value and customer demand. This study aims at investigating the effectiveness of the postharvest ultrasonic treatment in conserving the physical, microbial, and nutritional quality of Barhi fruits and extending their shelf life. To achieve the goals of the present work, the response surface methodology (RSM) was used for the optimization of the ultrasonic intensity (50, 100, 150, and 200 W/cm²) and application time (5, 10, 15, and 20 min) to preserve the Barhi dates high quality features for varied storage temperatures (1, 5, 15, and 25 °C) and duration (1, 6, 16, and 21 days). In RSM, a four-factors-mixed-levels central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was applied to optimize the ultrasound treatment and storage environments for better-quality physical [total soluble solids (TSS), firmness, and total color changes (ΔE)], microbial [total viable count (TVC)], nutritional [total phenolic content (TPC), DPPH antiradical activity, glucose, and fructose] features of Barhi dates. The outcomes showed that ultrasound intensity and its application time, storage temperature, and storage period influence the physical, microbial, and nutritional quality attributes in different magnitudes. The ideal settings for lessening the changes in the physical attributes, eliminating the microbial growth, and improving the nutritional quality attributes were 140 W/cm², 5.2 min, 20.9 °C, and 21 days for ultrasound intensity, ultrasound exposure duration, storage temperature, and storage duration, respectively. In conclusion, this study proved the potential application of ultrasound for persevering the excellence aspects of Barhi dates and identified the ideal ultrasound environments for maintaining the physical, microbial, and nutritional quality features of Barhi dates during extended storing.

Calcareous soil poses challenges for crop production due to the limited availability of micronutrients in insoluble forms. This study evaluated various organic and biological treatments for managing deficiencies in iron, zinc, and manganese in artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) grown in calcareous soil over two seasons (2023 and 2024). A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was employed, with 24 plots (5 × 8 m² each) receiving the following five treatments: mineral fertilizer, humic substances, ALCRI-anti chlorosis, ALCRI-vermicompost, and ALCRI-bio-help. Each treatment was replicated three times. In the 2023 season, significant increases in micronutrient levels were observed following the application of the organic and biological treatments, particularly ALCRI-vermicompost and humic substances. Compared to the control group, the iron content (Fe²⁺) increased by 57.1%, reaching 715.6%. Zinc (Zn²⁺) rose by 66.1% to 686.4%, while manganese (Mn²⁺) and copper (Cu²⁺) increased by 56.9% to 685.2% and 44.9% to 673.4%, respectively. These positive trends continued into the 2024 season, with Fe²⁺ showing even greater gains of 103.4%, peaking at 824.0% in the plots treated with the ALCRI-vermicompost and humic substances. Zn²⁺ and Mn²⁺ displayed more modest increases of 36.9% and 58.0%, while Cu²⁺ exhibited a remarkable rise of 50.7%, reaching 861.2%, particularly for the ALCRI-anti chlorosis treatments. The results indicate that the application of vermicompost fertilizer, alone or in combination with humic substances, significantly enhanced the soil structure, as confirmed by the SEM examination, which revealed increased porosity and improved aggregation. These consistent improvements over two seasons strongly support the effectiveness of organic and biological treatments in enriching soil with essential micronutrients.

Effects of Gibberellic Acid (GA3) and Salicylic Acid (SA) postharvest treatments on the quality of fresh Barhi dates at different ripening levels in the Khalal maturity stage during controlled atmosphere storage

Barhi dates are widely consumed at Khalal maturity stage and preserving the freshness quality of Barhi at this stage is a challenging task as this period is short and the fruits are more perishable. In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the infrared (IR) treatment and storage conditions for preserving the physicochemical, microbial, and bioactive attributes of fresh Barhi dates. The effect of four factors, IR temperature (50, 70, 90, and 110 °C), IR time (1, 2, 3, and 4 min), storage temperature (1, 5, 15, and 25 °C), and storage time (1, 6, 11, 16, and 21 days), on the responses of total soluble solids (TSS), hardness, total color change (ΔE), total viable count (TVC), total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity (DPPH), and glucose content were evaluated following central composite design (CCD). IR temperature, IR time, storage temperature, and storage time significantly affected the physical, microbial, and bioactive attributes of Barhi dates. The optimal conditions for minimizing the physical changes and microbial load and maximizing the bioactive attributes were IR temperature of 50 °C, IR time of 1.2 min, storage temperature of 1 °C, and storage time of 20 days. At the optimum conditions, the values of TSS, hardness, ΔE, TVC, TPC, DPPH, and glucose were 37.22%, 70.17 N, 11.12, 2.9 log CFU/g, 36.1 mg GAE/g, 65.31%, and 25.38 mg/g, respectively and these values were similar to predicted values. In conclusion, this study identified the ideal IR treatment and storage conditions for maintaining the overall quality attributes of Barhi dates during prolonged storage.