Scientists at Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology (IHBT), a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research lab in Himachal Pradesh’s Palampur, have developed a cost-effective technology that can help cultivation of highly nutritious Vitamin D-enriched shiitake mushrooms. The cultivation can be sped up to run in two months, against conventional nine-ten months, under local conditions.

once taken on commercial scale, the nutritional shiitake mushrooms not only promises to meet the Vitamin D need of the nutrition bereft Indian population but also boost the revenue of the producers as it has high local and global market demand.

Doctors say that at least 80 percent of urban population in India suffers from deficiency of Vitamin D- vital for absorption of calcium-naturally available from sunlight. Absence of Vitamin D can cause many critical diseases.

Dr Sanjay Kumar, Director of the IHBT: “It is well known that mushrooms -Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) being one of the varieties- are the vegetarian source of vitamin D. The technology developed by our scientists aim to enhance production of ergocalciferols (Vitamin D) in Shiitake mushroom which is most preferred variety in India particularly North India.”

Rakshak Kumar, scientist and assistant professor at the IHBT added that the mushroom has the attributes of great crops in the coming years. The global demand for Shiitake mushroom is expected to reach approximately 4500 tonnes by 2025 with an estimated market of $35.4 billion and the international demand for vitamin D is estimated to reach USD 140 million by 2025 growing annually at 1.2 percent.