Packaging of Fresh Sliced Mushrooms with Essential Oils Vapours: A New Technology for Maintaining Quality and Extending Shelf Life.

Antonio López-Gómez,Laura Navarro-Segura,Alejandra Navarro-Martínez,Ginés Benito Martínez-Hernández,Marta Barón,Amaury Taboada-Rodríguez,María Ros-Chumillas,Fulgencio Marín-Iniesta

doi:10.3390/foods10061196

Antonio López-Gómez, Laura Navarro-Segura + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10061196

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Abstract

The use of vapour of essential oils (EOs) through an innovative pilot-plant packaging device was studied to preserve the quality of sliced mushrooms during storage. A mix of EOs (eugenol, bergamot EO, and grapefruit EO) was vaporized (100 and 125 µL L−1) and applied during packaging of sliced mushrooms under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP); then, the product quality was studied during cold storage up to 12 days. The highest colour changes of EOs125 samples, which were observed in the mushroom stipe, were not observed with the EOs100 atmosphere. Thus, the high polyphenoloxidase activity observed in untreated samples after 5–7 days was highly controlled with the vapour EOs atmospheres. Furthermore, the visual appearance scores of EOs100 samples were still over the limit of usability, while untreated samples were already below this threshold after 5 days of storage. A strong bacteriostatic effect was achieved with vapour EOs, reducing the Pseudomonas spp. (the main microbial genus in cultivated mushrooms) growth by ≈1.7 log CFU g−1, regardless of the EOs dose, after 12 days. The activity of phenyl ammonia lyase was also reduced up to ≈0.4 enzymatic units with the EOs100 treatment. Conclusively, packaging of sliced mushrooms under an atmosphere enriched with 100 µL L−1 EOs vapour highly controlled the quality loss of sliced mushrooms owing to their enzymatic inhibition and high bacteriostatic effect.

Highlights

Mushrooms of the Agaricus genera constitute approximately30% of the world’s cultivated mushrooms [1], with the major production located in China followed by the European Union (EU) (Poland is the major EU producer followed by The Netherlands and Spain) [2]
This work aimed to study the effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) with vapour essential oils (EOs) on the quality (texture, colour, microbial, sensory, pH, bioactive compounds, and the activity of relevant enzymes (i.e., PPO and phenyl ammonia lyase (PAL))) of sliced mushrooms (A. bisporus) stored at 4 ◦C up to 14 days
The reached equilibrium was 7.8 ± 2.1 O2 and 10.6 ± 1.8 CO2, without large differences among the studied EOs’ MAP treatments. This fast generation of the steady-state gas equilibrium has been observed in sliced mushrooms under MAP at 4 ◦C [9]

Summary

Introduction

Mushrooms of the Agaricus genera (primarily A. bisporus) constitute approximately30% of the world’s cultivated mushrooms [1], with the major production located in China followed by the European Union (EU) (Poland is the major EU producer followed by The Netherlands and Spain) [2]. The short shelf life of mushrooms, and fungi in general, is mainly because they have no cuticle to protect them from physical or microbial attack and water loss [4]. Their thin and porous epidermal structure leads to high respiration rates (132–158 and 20–35 mL CO2 kg−1 h−1 at 20 ◦C and 5 ◦C, respectively) [5,6]. Mushroom slicing enhances microbial spoilage as it prompts an increment in the respiration rate and increases the surface area susceptible to dehydration, browning, and microbial growth

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