Published in Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture, Vol. LXV, Issue 2
Written by Elena Gabriela STAN, Lavinia Mihaela ILIESCU, Florin STĂNICĂ
Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) is the most important species of Rhamnaceae family and one of the oldest cultivated fruit trees in the world. In Romania, it was introduced for the first time in Dobrogea region, some 2000 years ago. The first cultivated varieties were introduced in 1997 at the Faculty of Horticulture, in Bucharest and nowadays the first commercial orchards are planted. This review aims to highlight the nutritional importance of jujube fruit and its high potential for the development of new and valuable food products. Moreover, jujube can be incorporated into different food formulations to improve their nutraceutical quality. A huge number of products can be obtained from fresh and dried jujube fruits: juice, compote, tea and coffee, liqueur, wine, brandy, but also gems, fruit bars and cakes. Jujube fruits can be processed in different ways, dehydration being utilized for most of the varieties. Besides that, fruits can be transformed into non-alcoholic fermented beverages such as juices, tea, coffee, energy drinks, or distilled beverages.
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