Advanced Physical Techniques in Postharvest Date Processing: Revealing Their Effectiveness, Integration into the ‘Hurdle’ Approach, and Recent Innovations

Abstract

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruits hold significant nutritional, cultural, and economic value. Still, they are highly perishable due to their elevated moisture and sugar content, leading to substantial postharvest losses. While traditional preservation methods (e.g. sun drying, salting, smoking) are still commonly used, their scalability, efficiency, and limitations in retaining quality hinder commercial viability. A critical research gap exists in the systematic comparison and practical implementation guidelines for advanced physical and nonthermal technologies, which lack consensus on optimal parameters, cost-effectiveness, and variety-specific adaptability. This review comprehensively analyzes conventional and innovative preservation strategies, with an emphasis on emerging approaches such as controlled/modified atmosphere storage, irradiation, high-pressure processing, pulsed electric fields, and cold plasma. The mechanisms, efficacy in microbial safety, sensory/nutritional preservation, and integration within hurdle technological frameworks were also evaluated. The pressing need for this review stems from the accelerating global demand for sustainable, clean-label date products and the urgent need to reduce postharvest waste through science-backed, scalable solutions. This review addresses key challenges and innovations in date preservation, synthesizing research to provide actionable insights for advancing systems and industry adoption.