Processing Methods and Key Technical Points for Shiitake Mushrooms After Harvest

After harvesting shiitake mushrooms, processing must be organized promptly, striving to pick and dry them the same day to prevent blackening, deterioration, and rotting. Processing and drying methods:

1. Sun-drying

Sun-drying is the most convenient and easiest method for drying shiitake mushrooms, and sun-dried mushrooms have a higher vitamin D content. The method is: spread the harvested shiitake mushrooms promptly on a sunlit grain-drying yard or cement ground. When drying, first place the caps facing up and the stems facing down, arranging them one by one. After drying until half-dry, turn the stems facing up and the caps facing down, until they are more than ninety percent dry. If encountering cloudy or rainy days, supplementary fire drying should be used.

2. Oven drying

(1) First sort the mushrooms into three grades: large, medium, and small, and load them separately onto drying trays. When placing the mushrooms, caps facing up and stems facing down, arrange them in order; do not pile them up haphazardly. During baking, the tray of large mushrooms is placed on the top layer, and the tray of small mushrooms is placed on the bottom layer.

(2) When firing, the heat should start low and then increase; it must not be too fierce all at once. Start by heating to 30°C, then every 3 to 4 hours raise the temperature by 5°C, and finally maintain it at 60°C, to avoid cooking or scorching the mushrooms. Do not go below 55°C either, to avoid prolonging the time and causing the shiitake mushrooms to blacken and deteriorate.

(3) When the shiitake mushrooms are baked to eighty percent dry, remove them from the drying room and place them in a dry place for 12 hours, then bake again for 3 to 4 hours, which can meet the drying requirements. Shiitake mushrooms dried this way are uniformly dry, not easily broken, and of good quality. One baking takes 12-18 hours.

(4) Firewood, coal fire, or charcoal can all be used for baking, but the drying room must be free of smoke and free of open flames. In addition, attention should be paid to:

A. During harvesting, processing, and storage, it is best to grade the mushrooms to facilitate pricing by quality, with high quality fetching a high price, and to improve economic returns.

B. After the shiitake mushrooms are dried, it is best to pack them in double plastic bags. When packing, it is advisable to pack them promptly while the residual heat from drying remains, and ensure airtight storage.

3. For storing shiitake mushrooms, it is best to place them upstairs in a dry area, and absolutely avoid placing them in damp places or basement warehouses. Do not stack them too high or too heavy, to avoid crushing or breaking the mushroom bodies.

4. After packaging, during the storage period, inspections should be carried out frequently. If the moisture content exceeds 13%, re-drying should be carried out immediately. If insect pests are found, sulfur can be used for airtight fumigation disinfection and pest control.