Effect of different packaging films and pre washing on the shelf life of button mushrooms

Abstract

Button mushroom quickly loses its quality after harvest. Weight loss, enzymatic browning and microbial contamination are the main factors limiting the shelf life of edible mushroom. In this study, the effects of prewashing with 1% H2O2, pre-washing with distilled water, and no washing, as well as the effects of packaging by using nanosilica-polyethylene, conventional polyethylene and cellophane films on the maintenance of postharvest quality of button mushrooms were investigated. After being washed, the mushrooms were packaged by using these films, stored at 4°C, and then studied at 7and 14 day after storage. The results showed that mushrooms packaged in nanosilica-polyethylene film compared to the two other packaging films had lower values of browning (23 and 16% less than cellophane and conventional polyethylene, respectively) and weight loss (66% less than cellophane and 48% less than conventional polyethylene), as well as higher value of L* (6.5 and 5% more than cellophane and conventional polyethylene, respectively) and phenol content (10 and 7.5% more than cellophane and conventional polyethylene, respectively). In addition, pre-washing with H2O2 before packaging was more effective treatment in preserving the quality and color of the mushroom compared to washing with distilled water and no washing treatments, due to the reduction of microbial load. Therefore, the combination of washing with H2O2 and packaging in nanosilica-polyethylene film can be effective treatment in increasing the shelllife of the mushrooms.