Quantification and identification analysis of Ziziphus jujuba Mill. peel pigmentation at different developmental stages

•Lutein, β-carotene, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and 13 anthocyanins were identified for the first time in fruit peel of a color mutant jujube cultivar-‘Sanbianhong’.•Major distinctions in the metabolic profiles among the five different colored peel groups.•Key color metabolites that contribute to the pigmentation in S1, S3, and S5 developmental stages were identified.•The key color metabolites were quantified using standards as calibrators.