Postharvest handling

and value addition of

mushrooms

Anuradha Srivastava, Scientist

(Food Technology)
ICAR-Directorate of Mushroom
Research, Solan (H.P.)
Button mushroom

Oyster mushroom
Paddy straw mushroom

Milky mushroom
Shiitake mushroom
 Why Post Harvest Management of Mushroom
is Important?
• High moisture content
• Delicate texture Low shelf life
• Highly respiration rate

• Enzymatic reactions Spoilage

• Microbial action
Browning
Wilting
Liquefaction
Loss of texture, aroma, flavor
Respiration rate of different commodities

Class Range at 5 °C Commodities

mg CO2 kg-1 h-1
Very Low <5 Nuts and dates
Low 5 to 10 Apple, citrus, grape, kiwifruit,
onion, potato
Moderate 10 to 20 Apricot, banana, cherry, peach,
nectarine, pear, plum, fig,
cabbage, carrot, lettuce, pepper,
tomato
High 20 to 40 Strawberry, blackberry,
raspberry, cauliflower, lima bean,
avocado
Very High 40 to 60 Artichoke, snap bean, Brussels
sprouts, cut flowers
Extremely >60 Asparagus, broccoli, mushroom,
high pea, spinach, sweet corn
 Respiration rate of Mushroom

Temperature °C (°F) ml CO2/kg.hr.

0 (32) 14-22
5 (41) 35
10 (50) 50
15 (59) 85
20 (68) 132-158
25 (77) >210
Flow Sheet for the harvesting and packaging of
White button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus)
 Quality Indices of mushroom
 Good quality, fresh mushrooms should be
white in colour.
 Uniform, well rounded cap with a smooth
glossy surface and fully intact veil are
indicators of best quality.
 Stipes (stalk) are straight and glossy in
appearance with an even cut edge.
 Cleanliness and absence of browning or
other dis-colorations are additional quality
factors.
 Visible, open gills and absence of a stipe are
negative factors.

Grading of mushroom
 Small button (1.9 – 3.2 cm/ 0.75-1.25 inch)
 Medium (3.2 – 4.5 cm / 1.25 – 1.75 inch)
 Large (>4.5 cm / 1.75 inch)
Losses at farm and postharvest channels
On farm Postharvest channels
• Improper handling, • Improper sorting and
diseases and insects grading

• Improper harvesting • Poor handling and

technique packaging

• Transportation losses
Postharvest Management Practices of
MUSHROOM
Harvesting of mushroom

Harvesting is done at button stage

and caps measuring 2.5 to 4 cm.

Mushrooms are harvested by light

twisting without disturbing the
casing soil.

About 10-14 kg. fresh mushrooms

per 100 kg. fresh compost can be
obtained in two months crop.
Washing

•Done to remove soil particles

•But can lead to decline in shelf life
and spoilage by bacteria
•Antimicrobial and reductant
compounds used in washing to
extend the shelf life
•0.05 % Potassium meta bisulphite
(KMS)
•Selling clean, unwashed properly
packed mushroom may be a better
option
Packing • Mushrooms are usually
packed in polypropylene
bags (100-150 gauge with
5% vents) of 250-500 g
capacities.

• Packaging of mushroom in
polypropylene bags with
moisture absorber (e.g.
silica gel) could be better
option

• The optimum atmosphere

for achieving maximum
shelf life reported is 5-10%
O2 and 2.5-5% CO2.
 Packaging
• Packing in polythene bas (100 gauge) wit 0.5
% venting area (for button mushrooms) and 5
% venting area (for oyster mushrooms) are
recommended for refrigerated storage
• For long distance transportation polystyrene
or pulp-board punnets over-wrapped with
differentially permeable Poly Vinyl Chloride
(PVC) or polyacetate films
 Packaging
• For local markets- retail packs of 200g or 400g
in polythene packs of less than 100 gauge
thickness.
• For long distance transportation of large
quantity of mushrooms(400 g to 4.56kg) –
polythene or pulp-boards punnets
overwrapped with differentially permeable
PVC or polyacetate films- remain fresh for 3
days at 18 °C
Button mushroom in a punnet
Packing material
Packaging
Bulk Packing of milky
mushroom
Packing of milky mushroom
 Packing of milky mushroom
in progress

Bumper harvest of milky

mushroom
Browning
Enzymatic browning Non-enzymatic browning
Tyrosinase and poly- Maillard reaction
phenol oxidase act on involving reducing
polyphenols and sugars, amino acids
oxidize them to and proteins
orthoquinones

For whiteness: Dipping in H2O2 (1:3) for ½

hr and then in 0.25% citric acid having 500
ppm SO2
 Precooling
• Temperature of mushroom at picking varies
between 15-18°C
• Should be brought down to 4-5°C
Storage

Freshly harvested mushrooms should be

immediately processed by any of the
following methods

Short term storage

Long term storage
Short term storage
Harvesting
• Cut the mushrooms at the soil line
Washing
• Washing in a antimicrobial solution
Drying
• Remove excess of water
Packing
• Packed in perforated poly bags (250-500 g)
Storage
• Storage in polyethylene bag at 4-5°C for 3-4
days
 Post Harvest Handling of Oyster Mushroom

• Straw adhered to mushroom is removed

• No washing
• Packing in polyetheylene bags of less tan 100 gauge
thickness with perforation having vent area of 5 %
• Storage under cooling with ventilation is desirable
i.e. cold air should be directed through the packed
produce
• Transportation in trays or baskets or polythene packs
with crushed ice packs
 Post Harvest Handling of Milky Mushroom

• Seasonal growers
• Highly localized market
• Very good shelf life of 3-4 days without loss of color
and appearance
• Washing, packaging, pre-cooling and refrigeration,
transport and storae is same as button mushroom
Post Harvest Handling of Paddy Straw Mushroom

• Shelf life is very less and mushrooms are sold on the

day of harvest
• Low temperature causes frost injury and
deterioration in quality
• Storage at 10- 15 °C in polythene bags with
perforation
• Transportation in bamboo baskets (Taiwan) wooden
cases (China)
 Zero energy cool chamber

165 cm (length)x 115 cm (width); Erect the double wall to

a height of 67.5 cm leaving a cavity of 7.5 cm
Long term storage

Harvesting
• Cut the mushrooms at the soil line

Washing
• Washing in a antimicrobial solution
Hot air oven drying
Drying (Sun or mechanical drying)

Pickling

Canning

Canned Mushroom
Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)

• Modified atmosphere is created in a

sealed package of a fresh product
by respiratory gas exchange O2
intake and CO2 evolution
• It can be created by two methods:
active (through artificial means)
and passive (automatically)
modification
• Packaging material plays a vital
role
Modified humidity packaging (MHP)
• In conventional packaging have lower water
vapour transmission rate than of transpiration rate
of fresh produce

• High in package relative humidity (IPRH) causes

conduction of water vapour within package and
allow microbial growth

• Perforation or water absorbers can be further

solution

• MAP in combination with MHP further improves

the shelf-life of mushroom
Control Atmosphere (CA) Storage

• Very few CA storage is available and that

too for selected crops due to high cost

• The controlled atmosphere (CA) involves

adjustment of the atmospheric
composition surrounding the commodity
by removal (mainly O2) or addition
(mainly CO2) of gases that is different
from the atmosphere.

• 15% CO2 and 1% O2: 20 days

Control Atmosphere (CA) Storage
Cold/cool chain

Temperature management is essential

for quality retention
• Temperature of button mushroom after picking varies
between 15-18° C and rises during storage
• Maintenance of low temperature in different stages of
handling by means of a cold chain results in reduction of
losses and retention of quality of products
• It is yet to become popular owing to several difficulties
such as high cost, lack of abundant uninterrupted power
supply etc
• Instead of mechanical refrigeration we should try some
other alternative cooling system viz. evaporation cooling,
hydro-cooling, ice bank or vacuum cooling etc.
• In this respect the advantages of evaporative cooling can
be utilized and a cool chain based on the principle of
evaporative cooling can be established.
Transport & Marketing
Dedicated cool chain
Vegetable market in Sikkim
Value added products in mushroom

Mushroom in steeping sol

Mushroom in Cans
Dehydrated Mushroom
Freeze Dried Mushrooms
Frozen Mushrooms
Mushroom Pickle
Mushroom Jams/Sweets
Chemical preservation
Fresh Sliced Mushroom
 Production of sliced mushroom is
growing because of increased
consumer demand for fresh ready
to use products and convenience
food.

 The process for sliced mushrooms

is as whole mushroom soaked for
10 minutes in the solution of citric
acid or hydrogen peroxide then
sliced, packed and stored at 4oC
for a period of 19 days.

 Both treatments reduced the

number of Pseudomonas bacteria
and improved the keeping quality
of the sliced mushroom when
compared to water soaked slices.

 Fresh sliced button mushroom

treated with citric acid (4%) and
H2O2 (5%) stored at 4oC had a shelf
life of 15 and 14 days as compared
to 11 days in control
Preservation in Steeping Solution
Processing
Drying

Canning

Pickling
Drying of Mushroom

• Sun drying

• Mechanical drying
Drying
• Drying refers to the removal of
water by heat to such a level that
the biochemical and microbial
activity is checked due to
reduced water activity (aw)in the
produce.

• Pre-treatments: Water blanching

of mushroom (Agaricus
bisporus) for 5 minutes along
with 0.5 per cent citric acid, 0.1
per cent KMS and 125 ppm
Ethylene diamine tetra acetic
acid (EDTA) to improve colour
and texture of mushroom slices

• Drying in cabinet-air drier at 60 ±

2° C results in high per cent of
yield followed by dehumidified
drier (50 ± 2°C).
Cabinet dryer

Trays loaded
with material
 Canning

 Canning is the most common

process for preserving
mushrooms, particularly
Agaricus mushroom.

 Canning is divided into six

operations; cleaning,
blanching, canning,
sterilization, cooling, labeling
and packing.

 Use of tomato juice is better

as canning medium for
retaining the mushroom
quality than the brine solution
Canning of mushrooms

Button mushroom

Wash

Cut the stock

Immerse in KMS Solution (0.5%)

Blanch in citric acid solution and cool
(Blanching time 5 min., 0.1-0.2% CA, improves
colour)

Fill in plain cans
(Conti...)
Add hot brine solution
(1-2% salt + 0.1% citric acid).

Exhaust
( heating at 80°C temperature,3-5 min.)

Seaming

Pressure processing
(Autoclave/Retort,10-15lbs,15-20 min.)

Labeling and storage
Pickling
• Pickling of mushroom is
also a popular method of
preserving.

• It is more economically
viable way during the
surplus periods.

• Sweet chutney from edible

mushroom having a shelf
life of over a year with
better sensory qualities.

• Pickle prepared from

paddy straw mushroom
was also reported with
better quality.
 Mushroom Pickle
Wash harvested mushrooms in water (containing 300 ppm KMS)
↓
Blanch mushrooms in hot water at 85 oC for 5 min and then dip immediately in
cold water
↓
Cut in halves of quarters according to the desired size
↓
Salt mushroom 20 g salt/kg mushrooms and keep overnight
↓
Drain excess and accumulated water and surface dry mushrooms for 2-3 hours
↓
Add salt and spices as per the given recipe and mix with hands
↓
Add vinegar to the pickle mix
↓
Add heated mustard oil from the top to the mix and blend with both hands
↓
Leave overnight for balancing of spices and flavor development
↓
Fill in plastic/glass jars and again top-fill with mustard oil
↓
Storage
  Individual quick freezing (IQF) is
Freezing another
method
popular processing

 In this process, raw materials are

washed at processing units after
receipt from farm, and then the
mushrooms are inspected, sliced and
graded according to quality.

 After that, blanched and water

cooled mushroom are subjected
to tunnel freezing stage. At this
stage are cooled in a system
having temperature around -40°C
and core areas of mushroom
pieces acquire a temperature of
around -18 C.
 Subsequently packed in multi-layer
poly-bags and stored in a cold
storage having temperature – 20°C to
-35°C.

 Vacuum freeze drying (V.F.D) is a

further development in mushroom
processing. In this process the
original shape, quality, colour size,
texture, freshness properties of
thermal produce are retained.
Other novel products from White button Mushroom
 Mushroom soup

R3 R7

hroom noodles Plate: 2 Instant mushroom

soup powder
Mushroom supplemented pasta (macaroni)
Water Semolina
+
(40 °C) Mushroom

Pre-mixing
manually

Mixing & Kneading

Pasta machine
60 rpm
10 min

Extrusion Pasta machine

60 rpm
40 ± 2 °C

Drying
At room temperature

Packing
In HDPE
(0.12mm, 159.60mm, 214.82mm)
 Mushroom supplemented Bread
Kneading

Fermentation 1½ hrs at 30°-32°C

Proofing 1 hr at 30-35°C

Baking 25-30 min at 220-250°C (RH 85-90%)

 Mushroom
chunks

Mushroom pasta Mushroom papad

Other Mushroom products

1. Mushroom flour

2. Mushroom nuggets

3. Mushroom jam

4. Mushroom squash

5. Mushroom candy

6. Mushroom chips
 Mushroom Papad
Wash Mushrooms
↓
Blanch in hot water and dip immediately in cold water
↓
Cut mushrooms and make a paste in grinder
↓
Mix with boiled potato paste in 50:50 ratio and add spices
(Salt, chilli powder/black pepper, cumin etc.)
↓
Add KMS powder to the blend @300ppm
↓
Spread the papad batter on a polythene sheet in drying tray
(10 cm diameter and 1-2 mm tickness)
↓
Keep the trays in sun or in tray drier at 50 C for 5-6 h
↓
Peel off the papad and pack a set of 10-20 in PE bag
↓
Store in cool and dry place
 Mushroom Candy
Wash Mushrooms
↓
Blanch in hot water and dip immediately in cold water
↓
Cut mushrooms in candy size (2 x 2 cm)
↓
Prepare sugar solution of 50 % by heating
↓
Dip cut mushrooms in hot hot sugar solution
↓
Place the container till it reaches room temperature
and then refrigerate overnight
↓
Strain the mushrooms out of sugar solution
↓
Add more sugar to sugar solution and heat to attain strength of 60 %
Add Citric acid @1% to sugar solution
↓
Contd…

Dip the mushrooms in this and place in refrigerator overnight

↓
Repeat with 70 % and 80 % sugar solution
↓
Strain the mushrooms out of sugar solution
↓
Spread them on drying tray
↓
Leave for 3-4 h till the surface in dried
↓
Pack the candy in polyethylene bags
↓
Store in clean dry place
 Mushroom Chips

Slice mushrooms to average slice of thickness of 2.5 mm each

↓
Blanch in hot water (2 min) and dip immediately in cold water
↓
Spread the mushroom for drying (sun or tray drying)
↓
Pack the chips in PE bags
↓
Store in cool and dry place
↓
Fry for consumption at 170 C for 1.5 min
 Mushroom Jam
Wash Mushrooms
↓
Blanch in hot water and dip immediately in cold water
↓
Cut mushrooms and make a paste in grinder
↓
Start cooking on a low flame and add sugar (1:1)
↓
Add pectin @ 1 % of pulp
↓
Heat the paste with continuous stirring to avoid sticking/charring
↓
Continue heating till it reaches a TSS of 68 %
↓
Switch off the flame and hot fill ib sterilized glass bottles (head space 0. to 1 cm)
↓
Close the caps after cooling and seal
↓
Store in cool and dry place
 Mushroom Biscuits
Mix wheat flour with mushroom powder in 80:20 ratio
↓
Mix the fat in high speed mixer
↓
Add sugar to the fat in mixer in 2-3 parts
↓
Blend for 2 min
↓
Mix wheat flour: mushroom with this mix
↓
Add milk powder, flavor and water to make dough
↓
Make thin sheets of uniform thickness
↓
Cut biscuits
↓
Bake at 180 C for 20 min
↓
Let the biscuits cool and Pack
 Ingredients for Mushroom Biscuits

Ingredients Amount
Maida 80 g
Mushroom powder 20 g
Sugar 30 g
Fat 45 g
Baking powder 0.6 g
Ammonium carbonate 0.3 g
Salt 0.6 g
Vanilla essence 0.02 g
Milk poder 1.5 g
Glucose 1.5 g
Water 12-22 ml
 Mushroom Badi/ Nuggets
Mushroom powder
↓
Mix with Dhal powder
↓
Make paste by adding water Ingredients Parts
↓ (%)
Blend for 2 min Mushroom powder 10
↓
Mixing of ingredients and spices Urad dhal powder 80
↓ Salt 2
Make round ball of 2-4 cm dia Red chilly powder 1
↓
Spread on steel tray Sodium bicarbonate 0.01
↓ Water 7
Sun drying
↓
Mushroom badi/Nuggets
 Mushroom Ketchup/ Sauce
Fresh mushrooms
↓ Ingredients Parts
Washing (%)
↓
Slicing Salt 10
↓ Sugar 25
Cook in 50 % water for 20 min Acetic acid 1.5
↓
Sodium benzoate .065
Making of paste
↓ Onion 10
Addition of ingredients Garlic 0.5
↓ Ginger 3
Cooking till 1/3rd in volume
Cumin 1
↓
Filling in sterilized bottles Black pepper 0.1
↓ Red chilly powder 1
Store
Mushroom preserve
Mushroom candy
Mushroom soup powder
Mushroom biscuits
Mushroom cake
Mushroom chips
Mushroom Papad
Mushroom nuggets
Mushroom Ketch-up
Mushroom noodles and pasta
Thanks