EXPLORATION OF THE UNIQUE FUNGAL ASSOCIATION AND PROTEIN PROFILE OF BODA FROM BASTAR, CHHATTISGARH, INDIA

Bastar is endowed with a unique blend of traditional knowledge and rich floral diversity. The region is known as the island of Shorea robusta, which is a key source for white and black truffle called Boda. It is also known as the black gold of the sal forest. It sets underground with the onset of early monsoon and is an edible mushroom with high protein, vitamin, and fiber with the low calorific value used by the local inhabitants as delicious food and in the amelioration of heart disease, blood pressure, and stomach disorder. Owing to its tremendous health benefits, the present study deals with the assessment of the protein content, isolation, and identification of fungi associated with boda. The qualitative analysis revealed that black boda contains more protein content than white boda. The quantitative estimation revealed the presence of 0.97 mg/ml and 0.33 mg/ml of protein for 0.2 mg weight of black and white boda, respectively. Further, the boda sample were inoculated on potato dextrose agar and incubated at 28-30 ºC for 48 h. A total of ten fungi comprising of seven from white boda and three from black boda were isolated. The isolates were subjected to morphological and microscopic characterization. The moisture content and protein weight ratio analysis showed that black boda contains more moisture content than that of white boda. This is the pioneering research and first report of its kind from Bastar. However, the characterization of protein and molecular identification of fungi from boda is the future prospect of the research.