If the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research’s (IIHR) proposal to the government goes through, schoolchildren in the State may be served mushroom powder-mixed rasam as part of their midday meals.
IIHR director M.R. Dinesh told The Hindu that the institute has developed technology for preparing a range of food products that are fortified with mushroom. If the government accepts the proposal, the IIHR hopes to supplement midday meals with this special rasam.
Meera Pandey, principal scientist of the IIHR’s Mushroom Research Lab, said mushroom has quality protein whose content is comparable with that of pulses. “It is a very good source of vitamin B and D, which is required for healthy bone development. It also has good iron content. In fact, the bio-availability of iron is higher in mushroom than in green plants. It has zinc and phosphorous contents too,” she said.
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The proposal is aimed at not only improving the health benefits of children, but also at increasing the income of people in rural areas around the schools. “We have developed a model under which farmers, especially women, are involved in growing mushrooms and making mushroom-fortified food to be supplied for midday meals,” Dr. Pandey said.
According to her, farmers — involved in the entire cycle of mushroom cultivation and food production right from supplying paddy straws for cultivation — are likely to get around ₹6,000 a month.
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Some food scientists are trying to popularise blending mushroom with meat for cooking. Principal scientist at IIHR’s Mushroom Research Lab Meera Pandey said reducing meat quantum by blending it with mushroom is catching up in several European countries for health and environmental reasons. This is being done as mushroom contains zero cholesterol and very little fat, unlike meat, she said.
“There are attempts to blend mushroom with meat as mushroom has texture and taste similar to meat besides having similar health benefits,” she said.