Precooking processing of bamboo shoots for removal of anti-nutrients

Bamboo shoots being low in fat, high in dietary fiber and rich in mineral content, like an ideal vegetable have been used traditionally. Besides nutrients, bamboo shoots also contain lethal concentration of the anti-nutrient (cyanogen) that need to be removed before human consumption. Therefore an attempt has been made to find out the best processing method for confiscation of cyanogens. B. bambos, B. tulda, D. strictus and D.asper were selected for the study. Fresh and processed bamboo shoots were analyzed for their various nutritional and anti-nutritional contents. Carbohydrate content in fresh shoots of studied species ranged from 2.39%-3.6%, proteins from 1.65%-2.08%, phenols from 0.36%-0.63%, cyanogens from 0.011%-0.018%, minerals did not vary significantly among the species except potassium which ranged from 0.32%-0.52%. The shoots were processed by boiling in water and different concentrations of NaCl (1%, 5% and 10%) for different intervals (10, 15, 20 and 25 min) to achieve maximum removal of cyanogens with minimum loss of nutrients. Boiling shoots in 5% NaCl for 15 min was found to be the best method for B. bamboos, 10 min boiling in 1% NaCl for B. tulda, 15 min boiling in 1% NaCl for D. strictus and 10 min boiling in 5% NaCl for D. asper. These processing methods will be very useful in utilization of bamboo shoots as these are very simple and can be used by the local inhabitants and shoot processing industries.