Aegle marmelos (L.) is a seasonal fruit that contains significant amounts of bioactives like, phenolic acids (gallic acids, 2,3-dihydroxy benzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, vanillic acid), flavonoid (rutin), organic acids (oxalic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, propionic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid), vitamin C, vitamin B group (thiamine, niacin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, biotin, cobalamins, riboflavin), tocopherols (α-tocopherol, β-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, δ-tocopherol), carotenes (α-carotene, β-carotene, γ-carotene, δ-carotene) and also rich in essential minerals (potassium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, copper, manganese). This study provides a comprehensive composition analysis (determined using RP-HPLC and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) Spectroscopy). In vitro medicinal activities (antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory activity, anti-diabetic activity) are quantified for different bael samples. The study also investigates the changes of these bioactive components with freeze, sun, hot air, and microwave drying. The study gives a proper vision to preserve the nutraceutically rich pulp by converting it into fruit leather.
Elevated concentrations of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in the water bodies are posing a serious threat to the aquatic microbiota and other organisms. In this context, anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria carry a great potential to degrade PhACs through their innate metabolic pathways. This study investigates the influence of short-term exposure to lower and higher concentrations (0.8 mg L-1, 0.06 mg L-1, respectively) of antibiotics on the anammox process under distinct operational conditions (starvation/non-starvation) in moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR). During batch operations that lasted for up to 6 h, the total nitrogen removal efficiency (TNRE) and total nitrogen conversion rate (TNCR) reached a maximum of 93 ± 5 % and 6.97 ± 1.30 mg N g-1 TSS d-1, respectively. Evidently, at higher PhAC levels, the anammox process was active, and up to 75 % PhAC removal efficiency was obtained within 6 h of the batch cycle. Most importantly, the anammox biofilm effectively eliminated the PhACs compounds, i.e., ciprofloxacin (CIP), ofloxacin (OFL), and norfloxacin (NOR) present at higher (0.8 mg L-1) and lower (0.06 mg L-1) total PhACs (sum of CIP, NOR, OFL) concentrations. Furthermore, 16S rRNA sequencing analyses showed a mixture of nitrifying, denitrifying, and anammox bacterial commodities enriched on the carriers' surface with a high relative abundance of Candidatus Brocadia, primarily responsible for catalyzing the anammox process. This study showed the intricate relationship between PhAC concentrations, TNCR, and antibiotic elimination in the wastewater treatment, and the results obtained set up a new breakthrough in wastewater treatment. Future research should investigate the mechanisms that underlie the anammox biofilms' resistance to various types of PhACs and investigate the long-term stability and scalability of this process with real wastewater influents.