From foodconsumer.org
Vitamin D-Rich Mushrooms: A Research Success
By Marcia Wood
Nov 12, 2008 - 8:27:49 AM
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Vitami.n C Lowers Bloo.d Pressur.e
Now there's an even better reason to add fresh mushrooms to your
breakfast omelet, noontime burger, or dinner salad. Agricultural
Research Service (ARS) scientists in Albany, Calif., have teamed with
Monterey Mushrooms, Inc., of Watsonville, Calif., to boost the vitamin
D content of white, brown and portabella mushrooms.
Thanks to UV-B light--like that in sunshine--the company's new Sun
Bella™ line of fresh mushrooms offers at least 100 percent of the
recommended intake of vitamin D in each 3-ounce serving.
.
An estimated 40 percent of Americans don't get enough vitamin D. The
nutrient is essential for strong bones, properly functioning liver and
kidneys, and a robust immune system. Some research suggests that
vitamin D may reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers,
and Alzheimer's disease.
The idea of using UV-B light to enhance mushrooms' vitamin D levels
isn't new. But Tara H. McHugh, a research leader and food technologist
at the ARS Western Regional Research Center in Albany, and colleagues
at Monterey Mushrooms are likely the first to determine exactly how to
best use UV-B rays for commercial-scale production of vitamin D-rich
mushrooms.
McHugh did much of the work under terms of a research and development
agreement with the company. Monterey Mushrooms recently introduced Sun
Bella™ mushrooms in supermarkets nationwide.
An article in the June 2008 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry documents some of the ARS mushroom studies.
ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Marcia Wood, (301) 504-1662, marcia.wood@ars.usda.gov
November 12, 2008
--View this report online, plus photos and related stories, at www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr
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