Improvement in nutritional and therapeutic properties of daily meal items through addition of oyster mushroom.

Mushroom is the choicest food of nutritionists because of its hypolipidemic, hypocholesterolemic, hypoglycaemic, antitumor properties. Keeping in view unique chemical composition of mushroom, it was incorporated in daily food items. Fresh as well as dry mushrooms were incorporated at 50 per cent and 10 per cent level, respectively. Ingredients, their proportion and procedure of each control and experimental food items were standardized and the items were studied for their acceptance on a nine point Hedonic Scale by a panel of ten judges on a three consecutive days. Nutritive value was calculated and therapeutic use was reviewed. The study showed that mushroom is a suitable food for incorporation in breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks food items. It can be used in sweet as well as salty and spicy foods. All the mushroom added foods were acceptable. Addition of mushrooms improves the nutritional quality and therapeutic properties as well.