{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T06:46:01Z","timestamp":1785393961284,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,26]],"date-time":"2026-01-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769385600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Although plant-based convenience foods have gained significant market share, many are high in fat, salt, and sugar while low in nutrients. The current study aimed to develop a vegan oyster mushroom soup powder enriched with moringa, mung bean, and pumpkin. These ingredients were chosen for their high nutritional value and availability. Four soup formulas, each containing varying amounts of moringa (0%, 1%, 2%, and 3%), were prepared, and a sensory evaluation, proximate analysis, and total aerobic plate count were carried out. The 1% moringa formulation showed the highest consumer acceptance. In this formula, moisture, ash, protein, fat, fiber, carbohydrate, and energy content were reported as 13.6%, 7.6%, 16.3%, 2.2%, 9.8%, 50.5%, and 287 kcal\/100 g, respectively. The novel powdered soup product had higher amounts of phenolic compounds, total antioxidants, and iron compared to local, commercially available equivalents. Total aerobic plate counts remained below 105 CFU\/g; a common acceptability limit for dried soups, throughout the 4-month storage study under ambient conditions. Overall, the developed soup powder demonstrated superior nutritional quality and could support consumers in meeting their daily nutrient requirements. With further refinement, particularly by optimizing the drying process to better retain heat-sensitive nutrients, this product shows potential as an affordable and nutritious option to address inadequate protein intake and iron deficiency in Sri Lanka.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15030445","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,26]],"date-time":"2026-01-26T15:48:30Z","timestamp":1769442510000},"page":"445","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Formulation and Nutritional Evaluation of Instant Vegan Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) Soup Powder Enriched with Moringa (Moringa oleifera), Mung Bean (Vigna radiata), and Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1668-0907","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chamodi","family":"Pamalka","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, BMS Campus, Colombo 00600, Sri Lanka"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Melani","family":"Raymond","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, BMS Campus, Colombo 00600, Sri Lanka"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nadeera","family":"Gayan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AiGrow (Pvt.) Ltd., Bays 1-5, TRACE Expert City, Colombo 01000, Sri Lanka"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0385-4995","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Iain A.","family":"Brownlee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 8ST, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4082-8040","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Geethika Savindhi Gammeddegoda","family":"Liyanage","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, BMS Campus, Colombo 00600, Sri Lanka"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"107209","DOI":"10.1016\/j.appet.2024.107209","article-title":"Exposure to Instagram junk food content negatively impacts mood and cravings in young adults: A randomized controlled trial","volume":"195","author":"Zeeni","year":"2024","journal-title":"Appetite"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"68","DOI":"10.1016\/j.meatsci.2014.08.011","article-title":"Meat morals: Relationship between meat consumption consumer attitudes towards human and animal welfare and moral behavior","volume":"99","author":"Hudders","year":"2015","journal-title":"Meat Sci."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"670","DOI":"10.1080\/10408398.2022.2107997","article-title":"Vegan nutrition: A preliminary guide for health professionals","volume":"64","author":"Koeder","year":"2024","journal-title":"Crit. 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