Health Benefits of Fermented Bamboo Shoots: The Twenty-First Century Green Gold of Northeast India

Prapti Behera,Seetharaman Balaji

doi:10.1007/s12010-021-03506-y

Prapti Behera, Seetharaman Balaji

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-021-03506-y

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Abstract

The word “bamboo” reminds us of “a hollow stick,” but it is filled with a plethora of health benefits. The tribals of northeastern India ferment these beneficial bamboo shoots for the goodness of mankind. Fermentation is an important age-old biotechnological procedure used for the preservation of food products. Fermented bamboo shoots form the niche for many microorganisms, and this confers positive effects and advantages in many ways. These magical shoots have tremendous health benefits like anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-aging, cardioprotective, weight loss, probiotics, to name a few. Apart from health benefits, fermented bamboo shoots form important functional foods and have industrial and economical values. Though these are commonly found and started in the tribal area, and local markets, today, they are valuable all around the world, as popular as gold. Hence, fermented bamboo shoots are referred as “green gold” of India. This review briefs about various health benefits, advantages, disadvantages, future scope, and finally the economic values of fermented bamboo shoots, the “green gold” of the twenty-first century.

Highlights

Fermentation may be defined as a method of generation of a product, by culture of mass of microorganisms [1]
They are a storehouse of many important microorganisms especially the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast strains
Many fermented bamboo shoot-based food products are produced by the local tribes of northeastern India, of which few are readily available in the local market, like soidon, soibum, mesu, ekung, lung-siej, hirring, and eup

Summary

Introduction

Fermentation may be defined as a method of generation of a product, by culture of mass of microorganisms [1]. Bamboo shoots are fermented in northeast India by the tribal people, due to their plethora of health benefits with high medicinal value and immense food value They are a storehouse of many important microorganisms especially the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast strains. Many fermented bamboo shoot-based food products are produced by the local tribes of northeastern India, of which few are readily available in the local market, like soidon, soibum, mesu, ekung, lung-siej, hirring, and eup. These fermented bamboo shoot food products, along with their nutritional value, mode of preparation, and the presence of microorganisms have been described here. Fermented bamboo shoots like soidon, lung-siej, ekung, soibum, and mesu are rich in microorganisms which have probiotic property.

Conclusion

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