India is a land of diversity in terms of culture, language, geography, weather conditions and food habits. Even after food diversification, the Global Hunger Index Score of India recorded in the year 2022 has been 29.1, which is regarded as “serious” (Global Hunger Index, 2022). India stands at 107th position on Global Hunger Index out of 121 countries and remains among the top 15 countries with high hunger indices. In some countries including India, the rate may worsen in 2023. Most possible reasons may be conflict among countries, climate change, low economic growth rate post COVID-19, Russia-Ukraine war, all of which has led to increase in the prices of food, fuel and fertilizers, (Report on Hunger Index, 2022). The higher the hunger index, greater are the chances of malnutrition in children.
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In view of the same, the focus has to shift towards food types that can fulfil the hunger needs and nutrition requirements of large families in a cost-effective manner. One such food type is a fungus – Termitomyces titanicus (mushrooms). It is a gilled mushroom that belongs to genus Termitomyces, (Kamat, 2016). The mushrooms of this genus grow in symbiotic relationship with termites- Odontotermes obesus, O. feae, O. brunneus, etc., (Aanen et al, 2002). These mushrooms grow on termite’s faecal matter and help termite to degrade plant-derived material (wood, dry grass) on which they live, (Ghorai et al, 2011). Termites cultivate these mushrooms on special structure called “fungal combs” and obtain essential enzymes and nitrogen from them (Kamat, 2016). These fungi reproduce by transport of spores through termites. (Froslev et al, 2003)
Termitomyces titanicus is the world’s largest edible mushroom as well as largest organism in the world having a cap diameter of around 1m (Ghorai et al, 2011) 3 feet wide in total (a report on T. titanicus). The colour of the cap is greyish with dark brown patches (Kumari et al, 2022)
Geographical Distribution of the Genus Termitomyces
The genus Termitomyces include 23 edible species that are grown in different countries and regions. Some of the species are grown in India while others are grown in United States, Africa, China and other Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand, etc. (Ghorai et al, 2011). The species that are found in India include- T. badius, T. clypeatus, T. eurrhizus, T. robustus, T. cylindricus, T. heimii, T. mammiformis, T. medius, T. microcarpus, T. radicatus, T. schimperi, T. striatus, T. globulus and T. indicus (Paloi et al, 2023; Farook et al, 2013). Among them, T. microcarpus is the smallest edible mushroom found in the world. In India, these are mainly distributed in the western ghats and west coastal regions of Goa, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra, (Farook et al, 2013). According to T. titanicus Report, 2023, the species of Termitomyces titanicus is mainly grown in Zambia (South Africa), while occurrence has also been reported in Kodagu region of Karnataka, South India. The Indian name of this mushroom is Baari balliya or Kodre kum. (Janardhana and Pahlevanlo, 2012)
Climatic conditions for Termitomyces titanicus
Termitomyces titanicus requires cold temperature and high rainfall for its cultivation. It mainly grows in winter season with soil rich in carbon, nitrogen, magnesium and calcium. (T. titanicus report, 2023)
Nutritional Value and Health Benefits of T. titanicus
The texture of mushroom is meaty with smoky and savoury flavour. The amount of nutrients found in T. titanicus is represented in Table 1. It is a rich source of protein for a vegetarian diet; contains low fat content that is ideal for obese persons. A diet rich in T. titanicus helps in the prevention of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. (T. titanicus report, 2023; Due, 2016)
• Essential and Non-Essential Amino Acids
This mushroom consists of eight essential amino acids, mainly histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, valine and some non-essential amino acids like arginine, aspartic acid, serine, glutamic acid, proline, glycine, alanine, cysteine and tyrosine (Munchane et. al, 2021). These amino acids are important building blocks of proteins, which are required to prevent various bacterial and viral infections; strengthening bones; developing hormones and immunity.
• Bioactive components
There are some important bioactive components found in T. titanicus. These include group of glycosphingolipids called cerebrosides named as Termitomycamide A to E (Choi et al, 2010). These components play an important role in brain development and help in prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Prion disease, (Janardhana, 2012). These components also help in increasing the production of haemoglobin and white blood cells, which helps in boosting immunity. (Anchang et al, 2020)
Conclusion
T. titanicus, being the largest mushroom species can be a boon to the entire family, as using one mushroom could fill the stomach of at least 15-20 members, which helps in reducing hunger in a cost-effective manner, particularly for large families. It is rich in nutrients and contains medicinal properties that can not only reduce the problems of malnutrition, but also other diseases as mentioned above. T. titanicus can be a good substitute for low fat food stuffs. It also possesses good foaming properties and can act as thickening agent and therefore has huge potential in the Bakery Industry, (Due, 2016). To increase the shelf-life or in case of long-term storage after cultivation of T. titanicus, it can be treated by irradiation with Co-60 (0.5 kGy), (Qiang et al, 2005). In India, the cultivation of these mushrooms are not so common, but if implemented can be a major contributor towards reducing hunger index by developing innovative farming practices, which will help in increasing the opportunities in the food industry particularly in bakery and medicine.
References:
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2. Anchang, K.Y.; Oko, A.; Richard, S. Toxicological and positive changes in hematological pattern of albino rats treated with Termitomyces Titanicus: Potential valorization of an indigenous practice in the treatment of Oris Cancrum (Noma) in Nigeria. J. Pathol. Res. Rev. Rep. 2020, 2, 1–9.
3. Choi, J.H.; Maeda, K.; Nagai, K.; Harada, E.; Kawade, M.; Hirai, H.; Kawagishi, H. Termitomycamides A to E, fatty acid amides isolated from the mushroom Termitomyces titanicus, suppress endoplasmic reticulum stress. Org. Lett. 2010, 12, 5012–5015
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https://worldwidescience.org/topicpages/m/mushroom+termitomyces+titanicus.html
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7. Ghorai et al (2011). Symbiotic Fungus Termitomyces: A Filamentous Basidiomycota. Science Direct,
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/termitomyces
8. Global Hunger Index (2022), web link:
https://www.globalhungerindex.org/india.html
Hunger Index report (2022), web link:
https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-hunger-index-2022
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T. titanicus report, web link: https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/termitomyces-titanicus-largest-edible-mushroom