Improved postharvest quality and respiratory activity of straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) with ultrasound treatment and controlled relative humidity

Abstract

The present study proposed a synergistic method to extend the postharvest quality of straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) by controlling the conditions of ultrasound treatment and relative humidity (RH). Results showed that 10-min ultrasound treatment combined with storage at 95% RH prolonged the postharvest quality of straw mushroom from 24h or 48h to 72h. The appearance of straw mushroom was maximally kept with original odor, minimum weight loss of 28.83%, malonaldehyde (MDA) content of 5.06nmolg−1, and higher total soluble sugar (TSS) of 28.32gkg−1 and total soluble protein (TSP) of 30.27gkg−1. The ultrasound treatment also inhibited the browning and respiratory rates via inactivating the browning-related PPO activity to 236.52Ug−1, and PGI to 0.038Ug−1, SDH to 3.62Umg−1 Pro, CCO to 9.29Umg−1 Pro and G-6-PDH/6-PGDH to 69.87μmol NADP g−1min−1 activities of involved in respiratory pathways after 72h of storage. Our results suggest that ultrasonic treatment with the control of relative humidity could potentially reduce the quality deterioration of straw mushroom.