Quality characteristics, nutraceutical profile, and storage stability of functional beverage prepared from jujube (Ziziphus jujuba var vulgaris) fruit

Jujube fruit, well-known for its nutraceutical potential such as flavonoids, anthocyanins, organic acids, and phenolic compounds, is being explore as a functional ingredient in a wide array of health foods and drinks. It should be noted that there were no reported data about characteristics of the functional beverage of jujube. Therefore, in this study, it was prepared using jujube concentrate (40, 50, 60 ml), water (60, 50, 40 ml), citric acid (0.0, 0.08, 0.06, 0.1% wt/vol), and sugar (0, 7, 8, 9% wt/vol) in different ratios. Then, different factors including physicochemical parameters, bioactive compounds, sensory acceptability, instrumental color, and microbial quality, of jujube beverages were periodically analyzed during 4 months. The results indicated that the storage at 4 degrees C caused a slight increase in total phenolic and total flavonoid contents for up to 30 days, but a significant (p < .05) decrease was observed in both parameters after a 120-day storage. In addition, the content of vitamin C decreased (by 22.60%-43.81%) significantly (p < .05) at 4 degrees C as the storage progressed. The formulated beverage containing three parts of jujube concentrate, two parts of water, and 0.1% citric acid exhibited superior sensory and microbial quality characteristics compared to the other samples. Practical applications Due to nutritional and technological effects of the bioactive compounds, in the present research, we produced a value-added functional beverage using jujube concentrate, sugar, and citric acid in different concentrations resulting in a "ready-to-drink" product.