From Palm to Scoop: Qassim Turns Dates into Ice Cream

   Buraidah, October 05, 2026, SPA -- Date-related food industries are increasingly turning to new products that add value to this national agricultural product. Among these innovations is date ice cream, an experiment that combines one of Saudi Arabia's prominent agricultural products with modern food industries.
   The process of producing date ice cream begins with selecting dates of suitable quality for processing, followed by sorting, cleaning, and pitting them before converting them into a smooth date paste that becomes part of the ice cream mixture.
   The date paste is mixed with the ice cream base ingredients according to a carefully designed formula that accounts for the product's taste, texture, and sweetness. The mixture then undergoes manufacturing, processing, cooling, and freezing stages, followed by packaging and storage under suitable frozen conditions.
   The product can be served in cafes, restaurants, and hotels and sold through retail outlets, with the potential to develop premium packaging targeting the hospitality, gift, and tourism sectors.
   Mohammed Al-Salhi, who conducted the experiment, noted that producing ice cream from dates represents an opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises and innovative ventures to develop food products with a Saudi character, particularly given the possibility of producing various sizes and packages suitable for different consumer segments and offering the product at events and festivals focused on dates and agricultural products.
   -- SPA