Comparative morphological, biochemical and bioactive potentials of different varieties of Bael [Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa] of India.

Bael [Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa] is a traditional medicinal plant indigenous to India. From olden days, it has been used
as an alternative medicine for various purposes. Existence of different varieties of Bael raised a pertinent question, whether
all of them show equivalent health benefits?. In the current study, Bael fruits from different varieties were analysed for
nutritional composition and their bioactive potentials. Results revealed the broad range of physicochemical alterations
among the screened five varieties. The best sweetish Bhopal variety composed with high polyphenols (27.3±1.56 mg
GAE/g), vitamin A (54.6±2.48 mg/g), and enriched levels of phenolic acids (tannic, cinnamic, ferulic, and chlorogenic
acids) compared to other varieties. The Bhopal variety showed good antioxidant activity (6.8±0.95 μg/mL) and cyto/DNA
protective properties. It also showed potent antiulcer and anticancer activities by inhibiting H+, K+- ATPase (6.4±0.75
μg/mL) and tyrosinase (40.2±3.9 μg/mL) respectively as opposed to respective standard inhibitors – lanzoprazole
(19.2±0.75 μg/mL) and kojic acid (25.6±0.89 μg/mL). Evaluation of comparative nutritional content and nutraceutical
potency explains that all varieties are not edible and they differ also in posessing health benefical compounds. Bael variety
from Bhopal yielded sensorially acceptable Nectar and offered enriched bioactivities. This is the first study indicating the
varietal effect on nutritional and nutraceutical composition of Bael.