title: Physico-chemical, nutritional, and volatile composition and sensory profile of Spanish jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) fruits.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Jujube fruit is eaten mostly fresh, but may be dried (Chinese dates and tea) or processed into confectionary recipes in bread, cakes, compotes, and candy. Given that the quality of jujube available on the market differs on account of various factors such as geographical environment, cultivar, processing conditions, and storage conditions, and that, for consumers, flavour and nutrition properties of jujube represent the major parameters in determining the quality of jujube, the main goal of this study were to determine the main physico-chemical properties of jujube fruits, sugars and organic acids profiles, protein, mineral constituents, volatile composition and sensory profile of jujube fruits. This would allow breeders to select cultivars with higher levels of nutrients and also enable increasing dietary intake by consumers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Investigations showed that jujube fruit weight ranged from 4.8 to 29.3 g fruit(-1) . Four sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose and sorbitol) and four organic acids (citric, malic, ascorbic and succinic acids) were identified and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography in jujube fruits. Potassium, calcium and magnesium were the major mineral constituents in jujube fruits. Fifteen volatiles compounds were found in the aroma profile of jujube fruits (nine were aldehydes, three terpenes, one ester, one ketone and one linear hydrocarbon).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results showed that Spanish jujube cultivars studied are a good source of vitamin C, and they have a low content of Na. The jujube cultivar with the most appreciated quality by consumers was GAL; the GAL fruits were sweet, crunchy, and had high intensities of jujube ID and apple flavour a long after-taste. Therefore, jujube grown in Spain has a great potential to be exploited for functional foods. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors: Miguel Hernández University, Department of Plant Sciences and Microbiology, Research Group in Plant Production and Technology, Ctra. de Beniel, km 3,2. E-03312, Orihuela, Alicante, Spain.
authors: Francisca
authors: F
authors: Hernández
authors: Miguel Hernández University, Department of Agrofood Technology, Food Quality and Safety Research Group, Ctra. de Beniel, km 3,2, E-03312, Orihuela, Alicante, Spain.
authors: Luis
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9269-1125
authors: L
authors: Noguera-Artiaga
authors: Miguel Hernández University, Department of Agrofood Technology, Food Quality and Safety Research Group, Ctra. de Beniel, km 3,2, E-03312, Orihuela, Alicante, Spain.
authors: Francisco
authors: F
authors: Burló
authors: Department of Fruit and Vegetable Processing, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Science, 37/41 Chełmońskiego Street, 51-630, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors: Aneta
authors: A
authors: Wojdyło
authors: Miguel Hernández University, Department of Agrofood Technology, Food Quality and Safety Research Group, Ctra. de Beniel, km 3,2, E-03312, Orihuela, Alicante, Spain.
authors: Ángel A
authors: ÁA
authors: Carbonell-Barrachina
authors: Miguel Hernández University, Department of Plant Sciences and Microbiology, Research Group in Plant Production and Technology, Ctra. de Beniel, km 3,2. E-03312, Orihuela, Alicante, Spain.
authors: Pilar
authors: P
authors: Legua
mesh_terms: D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000737:chemistry; D005504:Food Analysis; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008903:Minerals / Q000737:chemistry; D009753:Nutritive Value; D031957:Ziziphus / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D008903:Minerals
keywords: descriptive sensory analysis; fresh jujube; minerals; organic acids and sugars; volatile compounds