Jujube harvest and postharvest management

The harvest time of jujube varies greatly according to the use and variety of fruit.

The main results are as follows: 1. The fruit used as honey jujube: the white ripening period is the suitable postharvest period. During this period, the fruit volume stopped growing; the pericarp green decreased, showing milky white or green white; the texture of the pericarp was thin and soft, and it was not easy to separate from the pulp after cooking; the pulp was relatively soft, less fruit juice, low sugar content, but rich in protopectin, strong cooking resistance. The processed product is bright yellow and orange, showing amber translucency, eating tough and slippery without skin dregs, and has a unique flavor.

2. Fresh food varieties: it is suitable for the crisp ripening period when most of the pericarp turns red to completely red. Varieties with a small amount of sugar accumulation early, such as Zaozhuang crisp jujube, Dongzao jujube, Jinsixin 4, etc., can also be harvested from white maturity to white maturity. Yanmei fruit in this period has the best fresh quality, such as sweet, slightly sour, crisp and juicy, and has good storability, so it is the best time for picking fresh jujube fruit.

3. The suitable time for harvesting the raw materials of processed products such as black jujube, southern jujube, jade jujube and drunken jujube should be in the crisp ripening period when the pericarp has just turned red. At this time, the stalk is green, all or most of the pericarp turns red, the texture is thickened and slightly hard, it is easy to separate from the pulp after blanching, and the part near the core of the pulp has no signs of softening and overripening. The fruit processed products in this period not only have high yield and good flavor, but also have a plump appearance, fine skin pattern and bright black and purple color.

4. The suitable harvest period of dried jujube varieties is the mature period. During this period, the pericarp was fully colored for about half a month, the color further deepened to maroon or black-red, and the end of the connection between the stalk and the fruit began to turn yellow. The flesh changed from green-white to milky white, and turned to yellowish brown near the core; the pulp texture gradually softened outward from near the core, the water content decreased, and began to have the phenomenon of natural fruit drop. At this time, the red jujube harvested and tanned not only has a high drying rate, but also has a rich color, full shape, elasticity and the best quality.