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

584-591Bael [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