Increasing energy cost has driven the food canning industries to optimize their energy consumption in order to produce safe and shelf-stable foods efficiently. In the mushroom canning industry, energy efficiency is very critical to improve product (price) competitiveness. This research aimed at demonstrating total steam consumption to achieve the same sterility level (F0-value) of canned mushroom by using different combinations of times and temperatures of retorting. Agaricus bisporus in brine contained in 300×407 cans was heat processed in a horizontal static retort. Three different retort temperatures (115, 121, and 130°C) and different operator processing times ranging from 2 to 97 minutes were employed to achieve different levels of F0-values. Our results showed that at the same level of sterility, steam consumption inversely decreased with the increase of retort temperature. At the same F0-value of 10 minutes, energy efficiency for up to 72.9% and 58.1% per batch of retorting was achieved by increasing the temperature from 115 to 130°C and 115 to 121°C, respectively. Since steam consumption is a major element of production costs in the canning industry, the selection of higher temperatures and shorter time of retorting will have a positive commercial impact due to the reduction of production costs.

This research aimed to study the effect of sterility values on physical quality (drained weight, brown colour index, and texture) and sensory properties of canned Agaricus bisporus mushrooms processed at different retort temperatures (115, 121, and 130 °C) and processing times (2-97 minutes). Mushrooms in brine solution media packaged in 300x407 cans were heated in industrial-scale horizontal static retorts at different retort temperatures for specific processing times to reach different F0-values. The canning process was carried out following commercial production procedures in one of the mushroom canning factories. Measurement of heat penetration into the product was carried out using a protocol established by the Institute of Thermal Process Specialists (IFTPS), and the sterility values (F0) were calculated. Our results indicated that the physical and sensory properties of canned mushrooms were not only affected by sterility value but also by the combination of temperature and time used to process the product. At the same level of sterility, a higher retort temperature (130 °C) resulted in canned mushroom with a lower browning rate, an improved texture profile (decreased hardness, increased chewiness, and shear force), a sweeter taste, and increased intensity of umami taste. However, the canning process at a temperature of 130 °C resulted in a greater reduction of the drained weight as compared to that of canning at 115 °C and 121 °C.

This research aimed to study the effect of sterility values on antioxidant activity, soluble protein, and pH of canned Agaricus bisporus mushrooms processed at various retort temperatures (115, 121, and 130 °C) and processing times (2-97 minutes). The canning process was carried out by following commercial production procedures in one of the mushroom canning industries. Measurement of heat penetration into the product was carried out using a standard protocol. The sterility values (F0-value) were calculated using the General Method. Our results indicate that antioxidant activity, soluble protein contents, and pH of canned mushrooms are not only affected by sterility value but also by the combination of temperature and time used to process the product. At the same F0-value of 10 minutes, retorting of A. bisporus mushroom at a higher retort temperature (130 °C) resulted in higher antioxidant activity (RSA 73.73%) and soluble protein contents (24.1 mg/g), but resulted in lower pH-value as of (5.5±0.04 in drained liquid and 6.52±0.21 in drained solid) than other retort temperature of 115 and 121 °C. Since retort temperature is crucial parameters of chemical quality of product attributes in the canning industry, the selection of higher temperatures and shorter time of retorting will have a positive impact on quality parameter such as antioxidant activity and total soluble protein.