Abstract:Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa belongs to the genus Ziziphus in the Rhamnaceae family. Its pulp is rich in a variety of bioactive components and is traditionally used for calming the mind and arresting spontaneous sweating in traditional medicine. Climatic, edaphic and other factors from different producing regions affect the accumulation of secondary metabolites in its pulp, resulting in variations in functional quality. To uncover the metabolic divergence and quality characteristics of wild jujube pulp from different habitats, untargeted metabolomics analysis was performed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC MS/MS) on wild jujube pulp samples from eight producing sites including Dongying, Shandong Province. Multivariate statistical approaches including principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS DA) were applied to systematically compare metabolite profiles. A total of 2538 metabolites were identified, consisting mainly of 467 amino acids and their derivatives, 130 flavonoids, 118 alkaloids and 92 terpenoids. Notably, wild jujube pulp from Dongying, Shandong exhibited significant enrichment of isoquinoline alkaloids, flavonoids and other secondary metabolites. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that glycerophospholipid metabolism and related pathways serve as core metabolic pathways underlying geographical variations. Combined with measurements of sugar-acid composition and antioxidant activity, differences in sensory quality and functional bioactivity were also observed among pulp samples from different origins. In summary, this study verifies that wild jujube pulp from Dongying, Shandong possesses prominent enrichment advantages in multiple functional secondary metabolites. It provides key sets of chemical markers and a theoretical foundation for geographical origin tracing and quality evaluation system establishment of wild jujube pulp, and offers guidance for the development of its functional food ingredients.