Indian Jujube: A Lesser Explored, Underutilized and Potential Fruit for Processing With Possible Health Benefits

Abstract

In several countries around the world, the Jujube, also known as Ziziphus is cultivated. Chinese jujube has been used for years in herbal medicine and has also been researched extensively for its nutraceutical properties and health benefits. However, no systematic study on Indian jujube has been performed yet, and knowledge on the potential Indian varieties is still lacking. Very limited information is available on the phytochemicals of the Indian jujube. Therefore, it is important to characterize the different Indian jujube cultivars in order to better understand the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and medicinal value that the fruit provides, and also to have increased consumption of the fruit by the general consumers. The Indian jujube, which is also less explored, less consumed and underutilized, provides a great opportunity for exploitation of the fruit for its contribution toward food security, processing, value addition, and thereby income opportunity for the Indian growers and processors.