#OmanPride: Two SQU scientists secure patent for date paste recipe

Muscat: Two scientists from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) have procured a patent from the United States’ Department of Agriculture for their secret recipe to make a paste from date syrup.
After more than a year of experimentation, Dr. Nasser Al Habsi and Professor Shafiur Rahman of SQU’s College of Agriculture and Marine Sciences have succeeded in manufacturing the paste.
“Dates are a major export product of Oman, so we felt the need to do something like this,” Al Habsi said. “It’s light brown in colour, very similar to the colour and texture of peanut butter. It is easy to transport and the shelf life is also longer," he added.
Al Habsi decided to explore the possibilities of dates when he was completing his PhD at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.
“I did a PhD on how to stop the crystallisation of honey, because the weather is quite cold in Europe, and honey starts crystallising once it’s placed on a shelf there,” he told Times of Oman. “Most people don’t want to buy solidified honey, because they believe it is spoilt.
“While conducting experiments with the date syrup, I found that the sugar in the date syrup was similar to the one found in honey,” Al Habsi noted.
"In the beginning, it was very difficult though, because its composition is not the same as that of honey. I thought all I had to do was to let it crystallise, but it was not that simple," he explained.
Although the scientists have successfully created the product, they are unwilling to share the secrets behind its creation. They have already generated interest in their date paste, and are trying to find a commercial partner to manufacture it under a licence.
“We have two choices: Either we commercialise it ourselves, or we find a company to manufacture it for us,” remarked Al Habsi. “This product will not only be popular in the Gulf, but also in Europe, because people there do not want to consume sugar directly. They prefer consuming it in the form of date syrup or honey.
“We are trying to commercialise it with the help of our Academic Innovation Programme at SQU, where we will finalise the product, and then will invite investors in Oman to manufacture it,” added Rahman. “Next month, we are also looking to visit Dubai and find a manufacturer for this product.
“In the future, all you need to do is take a knife and spread this on your food, just like butter or jam or margarine,” he stated.