'Mushrooms, a rich source of Vitamin D'

National Mushroom Day is celebrated on the 15th day of October every year to acknowledge the importance and uses of these plants. Mushrooms are a good source of food and medicine for humans and animals. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help strengthen the immune system. Mushrooms are rich in vitamins and minerals and contain antioxidants that help boost the immune system.
They are nutritious with a unique taste, flavor, and pleasant fragrance as a functional food for vegetarians.
They are the only vegetable containing Vitamin D. Departments of Food and Nutrition and Microbiology at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) have developed mushroom powder to overcome the deficit of vitamin D levels. Dr. Sonika Sharma, Associate Professor Department of Food and Nutrition, and Dr. Shammi Kapoor, Dean College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, developed the powder jointly after four years of research.
It can be eaten raw or mix it in any food like chapatti, parantha, etc. The shelf life of the powder is six months. The climatic conditions of Punjab are favorable for the cultivation of summer and winter varieties of mushrooms. For summer, farmers can adopt the cultivation of milky mushrooms and are commonly known as ‘Dhudh Chhata’. PAU experts added that the maximum temperature for its cultivation is 28-35°C is available in Punjab for at least six months (April-October).