Bamboo Shoots: Composition, Nutritional Value, Therapeutic Role and Product Development for Value Addition

Bamboo shoot is an important constituent of traditional cuisine of some parts of India, particularly in North-Eastern region and is highly valued for its nutritional and health benefits due to the presence of several bio-active compounds. Raw, canned, boiled, marinated, fermented, frozen, liquid and medicinal are the several forms in which bamboo shoots are processed. However, the consumption pattern of bamboo shoots is traditional, non-standardized, seasonal and region-specific with little value addition. Due to seasonal availability of bamboo shoot, processing for handling cynogenic toxicity in raw shoot while keeping nutrients intact and enhancement of shelf life of the value added products assume great significance for business potential. There exists an urgent need to adopt the processing of bamboo shoot-based food products in an organized manner. The present article gives an overview of bamboo shoot-based food products, their quality attributes and the opportunities for value addition along with future prospects.