Physico-textural properties and mass modelling of Indian jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana L.)

Introduction - Indian jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana L.) is a tropical fruit mostly grown in northern India of different varieties. Despite its huge production and popularity, there is no scientific information regarding its value addition and nutritional importance. In this study, the various physical, textural, and chemical properties of Indian jujube and the models based on the mass of fruit were determined for machine designing. Materials and methods - Physical and chemical properties were determined with standard methods and formulas. Textural properties were analyzed with the help of Texture Profile Analyser. Mass modelling was carried out by model fitting with SPSS software. Results and discussion - The moisture content of jujube was found to be 85.337% (wb). The sphericity of fruit was 0.923 with average dimensions of length (5.108 cm), width (4.707 cm) and thickness (4.557 cm). The pH, fat, sugar, protein, phenolic content, ascorbic acid content were determined as 4.5, 1.072%, 6.695%, 0.8%, 52.770 mg GAE g(-1), 23.028 mg g(-1), 95.928% DPPH scavenging activity, respectively. The greenish coloured fruit was rich in minerals (Ca, Zn, K, Na, Fe). Conclusion - Indian jujube is a perishable fruit. The fruit's shape resembles a prolate ellipsoid structure. The yellowish-green coloured fruit is acidic: richer in protein, ascorbic acid, total sugar, phenolic compounds, and mineral contents than other varieties like 'seb' cultivar of Zizyphus. The linear and quadratic models are best suited for mass prediction in all groups. These properties help to develop equipment for handling, sorting, grading, conveying, processing, storage, transportation and commercial value addition of Indian jujube.