A novel brewing process for fruit beers fermented with high jujube juice content and native yeast strains in China

China produces 99% of the world’s jujubes, yet there are overproduction challenges. Currently, most fruit beers are typically brewed with low fruit juice ratios (< 30%), blending late or post fermentation, leading to unbalanced flavors. This limits their sensory complexity and nutritional profile. Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba), which is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, is underutilized during brewing. In this study, a novel co-fermented jujube beer was developed using 80% boiled jujube juice (8 °Brix) and 20% wort (8 °Brix), supplemented with 3.5 g/L hops and inoculated with a 4:1 ratio of the indigenous Saccharomyces cerevisiae SC2 strainand the beer yeast BF16 strain, followed by fermentation at 9 °C for 10 days. The resulting beer exhibited residual sugar levels of < 5 g/L and ethanol contents of < 5% (v/v), along with excellent foam stability (≥ 180 s), a balanced flavor profile, and a prolonged aftertaste. In addition, 14 key aroma compounds (e.g., furfural) were identified, contributing to a distinct jujube characteristic. Additionally, the beer exhibited high antioxidant capacity and demonstrated pesticide safety, providing a viable solution for the utilization of surplus jujube in brewing. This aligns with the focus of food production, processing and nutrition on nutrient-rich and innovative food processing technologies.