Nutritional Characterization of Shoots and Other Edible Products of an Edible Bamboo - Dendrocalamus hamiltonii

Dendrocalamus hamiltonii is a locally available variety of multipurpose bamboo which is mainly cultivated as wood substitute, fodder and edible shoots used for making pickles. As this is a predominant species of bamboo popular with the masses, therefore, an effort was made to evaluate its shoots for quality parameters. Results showed that it contained 91.06 % moisture, 0.81% ash, 0.29% fat and 1.50% fiber. Edible bamboo shoots need to be processed and utilized immediately due to their seasonal availability and short shelf life. Some edible products such as preserve, candy, chutney, nuggets, cracker (papad) and chukh were prepared which were then analyzed for nutritional and organoleptic evaluation. The results revealed that prepared formulations were nutritionally rich and acceptable by sensory scores. Such an activities are bound to provide livelihood opportunities to the local population thereby, exploring the value of bamboo resource as underutilized health food.