A mushroom processor, Mr Patrick Alor on Friday said mushroom juice would soon take over the carbonated soft drink industry if properly developed and harnessed.
Alor, who is also the National Publicity Secretary of the National Mushroom Association of Nigeria (NMAN), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
He said that mushroom juice was made from the various types of mushroom ranging from oyster, brown button, white button and milky mushrooms.
According to him, mushroom is only believed to be used as meat in sauces and other delicacies but has never been juiced.
“Before now, what we all know is mushroom sauce, dried mushrooms, fresh mushroom and others but people have never heard of mushroom juice and that is why we want people to know about the juice from mushroom.
“During the Babcock University World Food Day commemoration, we displayed our mushroom drinks made from oyster, brown and milky mushrooms; we also displayed mushroom rolls, pies and others.
“This is a new venture and there is need to sensitise the public that there is a wide range of engagements across the mushroom value chain that has been neglected.
“For agriculture to thrive in the country, since we are delving into diversification from an oil dependent economy to agriculture, then we need to add value,” he said.
The mushroom processor also said that alcoholic drinks could be made from the brown button mushroom, different from the regular alcoholic drinks.
Alor told NAN that mushroom had numerous health benefits that could fight diseases like cancer and considered the healthiest source of protein and other macro-nutrients.
He said that the current activities by the NMAN to develop the sub-sector had successively defeated for fear of whether mushroom was edible or not.
“Mushroom has always been in Nigeria from time in memorial, those days we could go to the bush to collect mushroom but the only problem we had is to be able to know the edible and the non-edible mushroom.
“However, with the level of work done in the sector, there is no cause to fear because we have been able to develop sponge to deal with that.
“We are looking at training more people on mushroom, we do not have many mushroom farmers in Nigeria and so if we train more people the price of mushroom will drop.
“Right now, it looks like mushroom is for the rich because of the cost because a kilo is about N2, 500.
“We want more mushroom farmers so that the price can go down and more people can have access to mushroom because it is very healthy.
“It cures a lot of diseases like cancer, so, it is something that everybody should embrace because it has no side effects and there is no fear whether it is edible or not,’’ he said. (NAN)
