Sufficient food supply is a country's most precious asset. Foods richer in minerals, vitamins and energy should be provided in order to supplement the diets that supply only meagre quantities of nutrients. Mushroom cultivation has a special relevance to India because straw and plant residues are abundantly available and our environment is conducive for its cultivation. Due to its high nutritive value, it is rightly called as vegetarian meat & announced by FAO as a food essential to bridge the Protein Gap.
Types of Mushrooms In India only three types, namely, button, oyster and straw mushrooms are commercially cultivated. The present model is on button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), which accounts for 90 percent of India's production of mushrooms. About 38 percent of the total world production of mushrooms is button mushroom.
PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY The broad aspects of mushroom growing & processing are :-
- Compost preparation : Mushroom need nutrients such as carbon compounds, nitrogen source, minerals, trace elements, vitamins and water. The compost is prepared from a mixture of plant wastes (cereal straw / sugarcane bagasse etc.) The composting process takes about 8-10 days. Thereafter, it is pasteurised in specially designed tunnels to kill germs & bacteria by raising its temperature up to 65 C. It takes about 6-8 days and it is ready for spawning & spawn run.
- Spawn running & Casing : The pasteurized compost is taken either in polythene bags or shelves (made of steel or RC) or trays. The spawn made of pure culture is mixed through the whole mass of compost to complete the spawn running process. On completion of the spawn run, the compost is uniformly covered with an unpacked shallow layer, 3-4 cm thickness of casing soil. It is necessary to induce the initiation of fruiting, to support growth and development of fruiting bodies (mushroom).
- Harvesting, grading and storage : Button mushroom may be harvested holding the cap between thumb & forefingers and upward twisting movement from left to right. The stage of harvesting of button mushroom is influenced by the grades used in marketing, which mainly buttons caps and opens. Button mushrooms are highly perishable. They can be stored for 3-4 days at 4-50C in polyethylene bags.
- Plant and Machinery : We, at Farm Fresh Foods are equipped with all the ultra modern facilities required for a hi-tech mushroom project such as air conditioning equipment, air handling equipments, cooling coils, air filter, blower, environment sensors (for temperature and CO2 level) and steam supply system. Besides this, front-end loader machines, compost filling system, conveyer, spawn application machine, tunnel filling machine, environment control, fumigation, disinfection, picking line and grading are all mechanized activities.
- Processing Technology : High moisture content (90%) and absence of protective cover render mushroom perishable. Deterioration (loss or moisture, respiration, oxidation, browning etc.) under normal conditions start almost immediately after harvest. Therefore, processing of mushrooms is essential for increasing its shelf life. There are mainly three methods of processing buttoning mushrooms - drying, freeze drying and canning. Currently, the unit is equipped with modern technology & SS 304 grade machinery to process approx. 5 Tons fresh mushroom per day.
Why Eat Mushrooms - Major Health Benefits To begin with, health experts and nutritionists refer toAgaricus bisporusmushrooms as natures nutritional supplement. Thats becausemushrooms are loaded with the nutrientsour bodies need to generate energy and repair cells including digestive enzymes, a spectrum of B vitamins, protein, and vitamin D2.
The impact of mushrooms on immunity is remarkable. Their curative powers have been shown to improve eyesighthearingcirculationimpotencymigraine headachestumorsand infections. Furthermore, mushrooms contain biologically active substances shown to help prevent cancerous cells from forming or recurring. Eating mushrooms regularly over long periods of time has been proven to actually decrease the number of cancerous cells in the body.
Studies at the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope in Duarte, California, suggest that white button mushrooms contain an important cancer-fighting substance called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
Mushrooms also offer incredible protection against inflammation. Research shows that eating whole fresh mushrooms, mushroom extracts, and powdered/dried mushrooms can help block the production of pro-inflammatory molecules.
Agaricus bisporusmushrooms are also a prime natural source of the powerful antioxidant L-Ergothioneine Studies at Pennsylvania State University found that just a handful of white button mushrooms provides about 12 times more L-Ergothioneine than wheat germ, and 4 times more than chicken liver.
Researchers from Pennsylvania State advocated that based on these findings, white mushrooms should be promoted to Superfood status.
Kurukshetra, Haryana, India
