Investigation of Triterpenic Acid Diversity in jujube Ziziphus jujuba Mill. from Various Habitats in Iran

Triterpenic acids, specifically Betulinic, Oleanolic, and Ursolic acids, are essential bioactive compounds found in jujube Ziziphus jujuba mill. fruit, possessing therapeutic properties for various diseases, including cancer. However, the amount of these triterpenic acids can vary depending on geographical and cultivation conditions. For this purpose, jujubes grown in orchards of 29 different habitats in different provinces located in the east, northeast, south, center, and west of Iran were sampled at the end of the summer season. The triterpenic acids present in the dried jujube powder were extracted using 96% ethanol as a solvent, with a liquid-to-solid ratio of 15 mL/g, under ultrasonic waves at a temperature of 40 ℃ for 35 minutes. The extracted acids were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a UV detector. The obtained data were subjected to subsequent nested analysis and the Tukey test. The results revealed that only the average amount of betulinic acid significantly varied among the ecotypes. Furthermore, a hierarchical cluster analysis based on the diversity of these three triterpenic acids, the studied ecotypes were divided into four clusters. Cluster 1, representing Iran's eastern and northeastern regions, exhibited the highest amounts of these triterpenic acids. However, the analysis of variance among the clusters showed no significant difference among them. The results showed that the climatic conditions, soil quality, seed, and agricultural methods can be effective in changing or not changing the amounts of triterpenic acids in jujube.