Nandkumar Kamat
Commercially cultivated edible mushrooms are probiotic health foods of the 21st century. Mushrooms lower bad cholesterol, control blood sugar, prevent cancers, tumors and viral infections. Goans addicted to consumption of uncultivable and endangered wild, seasonal termite hill mushrooms – Termitomyces species – would find the newly introduced large, brown Portobello mushrooms a better substitute to the wild ‘Roen Olamis’. The wild mushrooms with no quality control, despite the ban by forest department are sold at `3000 per kilogram along with the mud sticking to them. Quality farm fresh Portobello are sold locally for `1000 per kilogram. In terms of their medicinal and nutritional content Portobello are worth `10000 per kilogram.
I was pleasantly surprised to find locally produced farm fresh Portobello mushrooms, a large brown strain of the popular white button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) in a local departmental store. No doubt I said, this must be another product from Goa’s well known mushroom producer, bioentrepreneur Sangam Kurade, a double post graduate with a doctorate in food processing from USA. We must credit him for putting the small state of Goa since 1994 on national and international map in the field of food processing and mushroom biotechnology.
He was the first Goan entrepreneur to be elected as President of Central Executive Committee of Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME) for 2015-16. He impressed the Chinese and other foreign mushroom producers by spelling out his vision of making India a major mushroom producer while addressing a forum of international delegates at ‘China International Mushroom New Products and Equipment Expo’ in 2016 in Hefei, China. His formula was simple: “create wealth from India’s misplaced agrowaste”. He said that from 600 million metric tonnes agrowaste that India produces using bioconversion process, three million metric tonnes of edible mushrooms can be potentially produced.
He is very fond of experimentation and keen to introduce novel varieties of edible mushrooms. His new business venture –Tropical Mushrooms Goa, with a brand new large modern production facility at Dharbandora has been trying to produce Shitake (Lentinus edodes), world’s most prized mushrooms besides Oyster mushrooms and three varieties of button mushrooms. If Kurade succeeds in Shitake mushroom production it would be a historic breakthrough for India because this species grows only outdoors on logs and needs prolonged incubation before fruiting.
Although the white button mushrooms are very popular and in high demand there is no match to two other varieties – different strains – the large brown Portobello and the brownish smaller Crimini also known as baby Portobellos or Portabellins. All these varieties are produced under special indoor conditions by careful control of humidity, temperature and light. In terms of texture, aroma and flavour, the Portobello mushrooms score over the white button mushrooms. Their meaty flavour and appealing texture makes them better choice for grilling and frying.
Various menu applications of Portobello mushrooms can be found here http://www.drkurade.com/menu.html and for more enthusiastic culinary experts here http://www.foodandwine.com/vegetables/mushrooms/portobello-mushroom. One of the ingredient of Portobello (also many other edible species with brown or black pigment) is edible melanin which has numerous beneficial health properties.
Rafael Rosales and co-workers in USA in 2016 mentioned how edible melanin as found in pigmented mushrooms can provide protection against effects of ionizing radiation. Melanin in the intestinal lumen protects against the deleterious effects of extra-corporeal ionizing radiation by shielding of the gut tissue. Edible melanin may also be involved in physical shielding of the cells via Compton scattering of the incoming photons, accompanied by the scavenging of Compton electrons and free radicals.
Nutritional biochemists have studied the composition of Portobello mushrooms. Due to negligible Sodium content and moderate Potassium content these mushrooms are good for patients with hypertension. Very low saturated fats and absence of Cholesterol make these mushrooms good choice for patients with cardiovascular diseases. As a source of Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Iron, Magnesium and Zinc, Dietary Fiber, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Copper, Manganese – the Portobello make a good nutritional choice. Another amazing bio-element found in Portobellos is Selenium nutritionally essential for humans.
It is constituent of more than two dozen selenoproteins that play critical roles in reproduction, thyroid hormone metabolism, DNA synthesis, and protection from oxidative damage and infection. Because of its effects on DNA repair, apoptosis, and the endocrine and immune systems as well as other mechanisms, including its antioxidant properties, selenium might play a role in the prevention of cancer. Selenoproteins help prevent the oxidative modification of lipids, reducing inflammation and preventing platelets from aggregating. For these reasons, experts have suggested that selenium supplements could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease or deaths associated with cardiovascular disease.
There is complete ignorance in Goa about dietary Selenium needs. Poor semen quality, Male infertility and falling sperm count in Goa is possibly linked to poor Selenium intake. Adequate intakes of selenium for the synthesis of the selenoproteins are necessary to produce mature and viable sperm. One serving of Portobello can meet 14 per cent of daily need of Selenium. Although expensive as compared to popular white button mushrooms- the elite brown, meaty Portobello are reservoirs of beneficial molecules therefore their local production is good news for Goa. Consumers would look forward to more nutritious varieties from Tropical Mushrooms Goa plants in future.