Green Global
Foundation   Journal
...an emerging window for scientific research and publication across the globe

SHELF-LIFE EVALUATION AND QUALITATIVE CHARACTER ANALYSIS OF OYSTER MUSHROOMS (Pleurotus ostreatus) USING DIFFERENT PACKAGING MATERIALS UNDER DIFFERENT STORAGE CONDITIONS (Pages : 1 - 5)

In Bangladesh, mushrooms especially oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatous) not only serve as a scrumptious and nutritious part of the diet but also proved to be a cash crop for the population. As we know, the mushroom is a highly perishable food item. So, the extension of the shelf life of oyster mushrooms is one of the major concerns in mushroom marketing. At ambient temperature and without proper packaging, we have observed that the shelf life of the oyster mushroom is few hours to a day depending on the season. There are several genetic and environmental factors are involved in the extension of the shelf life of oyster mushrooms like types of cultivars, age of mushroom, time of harvesting etc. Furthermore, proper packaging conditions and packaging materials also play a significant role in prolonging the shelf life of a product. Polyethene and polypropylene are commonly used packaging materials in the food industry. Hence, the purpose of the study was to assess the shelf life of oyster mushrooms by using polyethene and polypropylene packaging at different storage conditions like ambient (25°C-29°C) and refrigerated (4°C) conditions. In the experiment, we considered six major quality parameters of storage life such as moisture content, texture, odour, browning index, and weight loss for assessing shelf life. The data were collected for 5 days at intervals of 48 hours. For collecting data, precise instruments like Perten TVT 300 XP texture analyzer, AnD MX-50 moisture analyzer and colour analyzer were used to assess the changes in the texture, moisture, and browning index of the mushrooms respectively. The results indicate that the mushrooms remain fresh in polypropylene packages in contrast to the polyethene packages and the results of other storage quality parameters revealed that refrigerated condition performed better than the ambient condition. Therefore, farmers are encouraged to use polypropylene packaging and store it in refrigerated condition to increase the shelf life of their harvested mushrooms. During study time there was no bacterial growth observed on the samples. This indicates that proper handling can minimize post-harvest microbial loss. Download