TITLE:
Nutritional Composition and Bioactive Compounds of Bael (Aegle marmelos) and Development of Functional Food Products
AUTHORS:
Sajon Kumar Biswas, Md. Zainul Abedin, Biddut Chandra Dey, Md. Sajib Al Reza, Luthfunnesa Bari, Md. Abu Zubair
KEYWORDS:
Bael, Aegle marmelos, Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Activity, Bael Murabba and Bar
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.14 No.4,
April
21,
2023
ABSTRACT: Aegle
marmelos,
widely known as bael, belongs to the Rutaceae family. It is one of the most
inexpensive and appealing fruits, considered to be an essential source of natural antioxidants and bioactive
components. The major purpose of the research study was to investigate
the nutritional composition and bioactive constituents of bael pulp, as well as
to develop new value-added products that maintain
the maximum quantity of nutrients. The developed food products were subjected to evaluate sensory attributes according to
a nine-point hedonic scale. It was found that the moisture, protein,
fat, crude fiber, and total ash content of bael
fruit pulp were 61.20%, 2.48%, 0.47%, 3.04%, and 1.29%, respectively.
When compared to the catechin standard, the antioxidant activity of such
extract indicated good antioxidant capacity, with an IC50 value of 75.68 μg/ml for methanol extract. Vitamin C
content was about 10.21 mg/100g.
Besides, total flavonoid and phenolic contents were found as 140 mg of
Quercetin Equivalent (QE)/g and 106.65 mg of Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE)/g, respectively. Results of
sensory attributes revealed that there was a significant difference (P
ba and bael bar. The overall acceptability of bael murabba (6.7) and bael bar (7.1) is acceptable in quality, but
their specific characteristics were found slightly different by the test panelists.
These products might be applicable for the treatment of several diseases like
atherosclerosis, diabetes, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, peptic
ulcer, tumor, and osteoporosis.