DETERIORATION AND SOME OF APPLIED PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES FOR COMMON MUSHROOMS (AGARICUS BISPORUS, FOLLOWED BY LENTINUS EDODES, PLEUROTUS SPP.)

Mushrooms are consider as a nutritional and health beneficial product. Three most cultivated mushrooms worldwide are Agaricus bisporus, Lentinus edodes and Pleurotus spp. Mushrooms are highly perishable. They tend to lose quality after harvest, mainly because of their high respiration rate and the fact that they have no barrier to protect them from water loss. Mushrooms’ shelf-life is limited to a few days under normal refrigeration conditions, which is a constraint on the distribution and marketing of fresh product, making extension of mushroom’s shelf life a constant quest. Modified atmosphere packaging provides an affordable packaging system that partly avoids enzymatic browning, fermentation and other biochemical processes by maintaining a controlled gas atmosphere. However, modified atmosphere packaging conditions should be carefully designed. Inappropriate modified atmosphere conditions may be ineffective or even shorten the shelf life of the product due to damage of tissues. Preservation techniques and specially use of MAP, specifically for Agaricus, Lentinus edodes and Pleurotus, is reviewed.