A Comparative Study on the Nutritional Quality of 5 (five) Varieties of Bangladeshi Jujubes (Zizyphus Mauritiana)

Abstract

The present study was designed to investigate the nutritive values of five different varieties of locally grown jujubes (Zizyphus Mauritiana) namely Apple kul, Bau kul, Narikeli kul, Comilla kul and Local/Deshi sour kul. The objective of this study was to determine the nutrient content and to compare nutritional quality among the above varieties of jujube and to give awareness to the people about the actual nutrition content of different varieties of jujubes in Bangladesh. This study observed that carbohydrate, protein, fat, energy, moisture, total sugar, reducing sugar, fiber, ash, carotenoid and vitamin C content of different jujube fruits are ranges between 4.70-10.01%, 1.02-1.20%, 1.02-2.20%, 43.91- 57.95%, 84.18-89.23%, 3.57-9.72%, 2.01-7.42%, 1.41- 6.97%, 2.85 -3.23%, 459.20-246.77 µg and 32.98-42.91 mg/100 gm of edible portion respectively. Among the five varieties of jujubes, apple kul contain highest amount of protein, carbohydrate, total sugar, reducing sugar, ash, carotenoid and energy but lowest amount of moisture. On the otherhand, local/deshi kul contain highest amount of vitamin C, moisture and fat but lowest level of carbohydrate, energy, total sugar, reducing sugar, crude fiber and ash. In compare with these jujube fruits Narikeli kul also contain the lowest amount of protein (0.85%), fat (1.02%) and carotenoids (246.77 µg/100 gm). Surprisingly, Comilla kul contain the highest amount of crude fiber (6.97%) but lowest amount of vitamin C. This result suggest that more attention should be given to the apple kul for yield and production of jujubes in large scale, which contain the highest percentage of nutritive values.