Nutritional and sociobiological aspects of termitophilous mushrooms from north India

The present paper aims to investigate the culinary potential, chemical composition and sociobiological aspects of seven edible species of Termitomyces viz., T. microcarpus, T. radicatus, T. badius, T. medius, T. heimii, T. striatus, and T. mammiformis collected from from different localities of North India during the monsoon season. The mushrooms were analyzed for their nutritional components viz., proteins, carbohydrates, crude fat, crude fibers, moisture content, ash content, and mineral elements following standard biochemical techniques. The nutritional composition varied from species to species in Termitomyces. The highest protein was recorded in T. medius (46.2%) on dry weight basis followed by T. badius (44%), while the carbohydrate was maximum in T. striatus (60.27%) followed by T. mammiformis (47.65%). The Fe content was highest in T. mammiformis (6.73 mg/gm) on dry weight basis while Ca and Mg were highest in T. medius (2.04 and 3.30 mg/gm), respectively. The paper also includes information about local name and different types of recipes prepared by the local people in North India.