Bioactive, nutritional composition, heavy metal and pesticide residue of four Chinese jujube cultivars.

This study aims to conduct a detailed investigation on four cultivars grown in northwest China, concentrating on the analysis of the bioactive contents, nutrients, heavy metal concentrations, and pesticide residue contents. Those Chinese jujubes consist of 51.99-71.75% edible part, 82.35-89.63% carbohydrates, 4.43-6.01% protein, 0.48-0.63% lipid, 2.80-4.80% polysaccharide, 45.64-88.97 mg/100 g ascorbic acid, 132.16-196.58 mg/100 g phenolics and 101.17-132.04 mg/100 g flavonoids in dry matter. In those four Chinese jujube cultivars, sulfur amino acids are the first limiting amino acids for adults, and aromatic amino acids are for children. The amount of heavy metal and pesticide residue concentrations in those jujubes was way below the limit. All four cultivars were found to have different nutritional values except for the carbohydrates; they had higher rates of carbohydrates and polysaccharide than those previously reported ones from Eastern China; and they are a better source for carbohydrates, vitamin C and functional amino acids.