Date Palm fronds as a promising feedstock to produce single-cell protein for the enrichment of animal feed

The growing global population represents a major challenge for decision-makers to provide food in a sustainable way. This situation requires serious efforts to find new and sustainable food sources by making better use of all available agricultural materials and reusing them to support global food supply chains. One of these sources is the date palm industry, which produces both primary products like dates and secondary by-products that are usually underutilized. Among these by-products is the large amount of date palm fronds, which are generated in high quantity during date production.

In this study, the focus was on increasing the benefit of Barhi date palm fronds, one of the most popular date varieties in Saudi Arabia. The goal was to extract complex sugars from the fronds and make them available as a carbon source for the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast. The resultant increase in yeast biomass can be used to enrich animal feed with protein.

The sugars were released from the fronds by alkaline pretreatment using different concentrations of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), at temperatures between 60–100°C, and for treatment times of 30 to 60 minutes. The best sugar release was achieved at 2% NaOH concentration, 100°C, for 30 minutes using 1% ground raw material. The yeast successfully grew on the released sugars and showed an increase in dry weight, indicating high protein production. These results suggest that date palm fronds are a promising and sustainable source for single-cell protein (SCP) production.