Integration of Oyster and Milky Mushroom Flour to Underutilized Pulses for the Development of Mushroom Analogues

Mushrooms are considered to be a healthy food as they are low in fat, high in protein with good biological value and antioxidant properties. Mushrooms also contain appreciable amounts of dietary fiber. But their quality starts deteriorating immediately after the harvest. On the other hand, horse gram and cowpea have limited utilization due to the presence of anti nutritional factor. In order to extend the shelf life of mushrooms with added value and breakdown the limit of utilization of horse gram and cowpea, extrusion processing has been carried out to develop mushroom analogues through the combination of mushrooms with those underutilized pulses. A formulation comprising 50-75% of pulses and 25-50% mushrooms was made up and extruded with feed moisture content of 12%, an extrusion temperature of 120°C and a screw speed of 150 rpm. The developed products had protein content ranging from 23.01 to 24.56% with increased antioxidant and in-vitro- digestibility properties. Addition of mushroom flour increased the Water Absorption Index (WAI) and decreased the Water Solubility Index (WSI). Incorporation of oyster mushroom powder at 25% and 50% along with cowpea and horse gram flour was found most acceptable in terms of texture and other organoleptic attributes. Developed mushroom analogues can act as a novel vegetarian protein rich convenience product in the market to improve nutritional status of the population.