Phytochemical Screening and Quantitative Determination of Primary Nutrients and Minerals for Two Cultivars of Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) Fruits

Abstract

This work represents a comprehensive study of the nutritional composition of primary nutrients for two main cultivars of Syrian jujube fruits (Ziziphus jujuba cv. junzao, Ziziphus jujuba cv. yazao). Phytochemical screening of the jujube fruit extracts was carried out and the contents of moisture, carbohydrate, fats, fibers, proteins and ash were determined according to standard methods. Eight mineral elements (Ca, K, P, Na, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn) were also determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results revealed that both cultivars have a high nutritional value, but showed significant differences in the nutritional composition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that addresses the phytochemical properties and the nutritional composition of Syrian jujube fruits.