Studies on bioavailability of iron from iron fortified commercial edible mushroom Hypsizygus ulmarius and standardization of delivery system for human nutrition

Iron is one of the most important micronutrients for human health. Iron deficient diet and defective iron absorption are among the major reasons for iron malnutrition. Mushrooms are edible fungi, which are a very good source of iron and can be easily grown on agricultural residues at home scale, dehydrated and stored in the powder form, which can supplement the daily diet. Although mushrooms in general and oyster mushrooms in particular are a rich source of iron, yet, have not become a recommended diet by the nutritionists due to lack of data pertaining to its bioavailability from mushrooms. Data has been generated in the present study on the in vitro bioavailability of iron from non-fortified and iron fortified Hypsizygus ulmarius, which is a commercially grown species. This is the first report pertaining to the bioavailability of iron from iron fortified mushrooms. A delivery system for human nutrition was also standardized in the form of Arka Mushroom Fortified Rasam Powder using iron fortified and non-fortified mushrooms, which can be used to mitigate iron malnutrition. The data generated in this study will help in providing application techniques to use mushrooms as dietary source of iron in everyday diet to mitigate iron deficiency.