Edible mushroom: new food fortification approach toward food security

Sub-Sahara Africa, in particular D. R. Congo continue to suffer from the twin problems of malnutrition and food insecurity. Young children, lactating and pregnant mothers are the most vulnerable groups. one of the major contributing factor of the wide-spread problems of malnutrition is the use of the starchy staple foods including cereal-based foods, cassava, etc. that are characterized by low protein content and micronutrients deficiency. This calls for action to develop home based enrichment of traditional foods by exploiting the nutritious foods like mushrooms that are rich in protein, micronutrients, fiber and health-giving properties. They are ranked to be richer than most food sources except meat in term of protein content. Despite having high nutritional attributes mushroom are low cholesterol content. Considering their protein, micronutrients content, and health-giving properties, mushroom can highly contribute to handle the protein malnutrition and micronutrients deficiency in developing and underdeveloped countries as a novel food fortification approach.