Research grant sanctioned to State native
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 25 2011:
Panjab University, Chandigarh's Professor in Department of Botany Dr Nirmala Chongtham has been sanctioned a project titled "Development of processing techniques for preserving juvenile shoots of Nutritionally rich edible bamboos of the Sub-Himalayan and NorthEastern region of India" from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, with the grant amounting to Rs.1.7 crores.
It is said that bamboo shoots are being projected as a health food as they are not only rich in nutrients mainly proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and fibres, but also have a number of health benefits ranging from preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer, weight loss, lowers cholesterol level and improves appetite and digestion.
|
Many countries realizing the health benefits, use bamboo shoots in their food products but in India, despite being the second largest genetic resource of bamboos, its usage is very limited due to lack of awareness, according to Prof Nirmala, a DAAD fellow from Germany, who has been working on the nutritional aspects of bamboo shoots for the last eight years.
In this project, nutritionally rich bamboos shall be selected and processing techniques developed for using the shoots in the food industry on a commercial scale for domestic and export purposes, she informed adding "Not only will it generate a natural health food product, but it will provide the much needed employment for many people and is a very potential source of foreign exchange" .