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

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.

Pre- and Postharvest Strategies for Pleurotus ostreatus Mushroom in a Circular Economy Approach

“…If they are exposed to low levels of surrounding humidity, it causes an excessive loss of weight, where a loss of 5-10% of their fresh weight makes them unsuitable for commercial sale [100], and a loss of firmness. After harvest, the common firm texture of mushrooms becomes spongy and tough [105].…”

“…Although refrigeration is one of the most widely used preservation techniques to increase the shelf-life of products, it has limitations in controlling mushroom browning [105], and some mushroom species are sensitive to low temperatures [116]; therefore, other preservation techniques are needed.…”

New preservation and detection technologies for edible mushrooms: A review

“…Essential oils (Eos) are aromatic oil‐like extracts from plants, such as flowers, buds, leaves, roots, seeds, twigs, bark, herbs, wood, fruits, and other parts of plants 108 . Essential oils have excellent antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, 109 and can be used as an alternative to chemical preservatives, satisfying consumer demand for natural products as good postharvest treatments 110 . They can be used as fumigants due to their high volatility, their ability to be used in low concentrations, their biodegradability, and safety 111 .…”

“…108 Essential oils have excellent antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, 109 and can be used as an alternative to chemical preservatives, satisfying consumer demand for natural products as good postharvest treatments. 110 They can be used as fumigants due to their high volatility, their ability to be used in low concentrations, their biodegradability, and safety. 111 The antimicrobial effect of essential oils can be attributed to their ability to penetrate bacterial cell membranes into cells and to inhibit functional cellular properties, and to their lipophilic nature.…”

Release kinetics modeling and fungal control potential of encapsulated thyme (Thymus vulgaris) essential oil

“…vapors at a concentration of 1000 mL m -3 in the headspace of grapefruits. Similarly,López-Gómez et al (2021) released vapors of eugenol, bergamot, and grapefruit essential oil at a concentration of 100 mL m -3 in a modified atmosphere system that allowed the quality of mushroom slices to be maintained for 12 d.…”