Textural Characteristics and Anatomical Structure of Hard- and Soft-Fleshed Jujube Fruits

The aim of this study was to establish a standardized and unified method for identifying and evaluating jujube fruit texture quality and to provide a theoretical basis for determining the texture quality of jujube germplasm resources. The texture of 56 jujube germplasms was characterized via the texture profile analysis (TPA) method, and the texture and anatomical structure of three each of the hard- and soft-fleshed germplasms were analyzed. Cluster analysis was used to categorize the 56 germplasms into hard- (17) and soft-fleshed jujubes (39). Significant positive correlations were found between all other textural parameters of jujube fruits except adhesiveness. The hardness, springiness, and chewiness of the full-red period hard- and the soft-fleshed jujube fruit were lower than those of the half-red period. The hardness, adhesiveness, and chewiness of the hard-fleshed jujube fruits in the full-red period were 2.13–3.57, 3.00–4.99, and 4.39–9.58 times higher than those of the soft-fleshed jujube fruits, respectively. The findings of this study provide a theoretical foundation for the evaluation and classification of the texture and quality of jujube fruits and a basis for the breeding of new, high-quality jujube varieties with distinctive characteristics.