Drying Technology and Preservation Methods for Edible Fungi

Main raw material: edible fungi.

Equipment and tools: screens, drying rooms, baking cages, far-infrared electric ovens, etc.

Production method: The sun-drying method mainly relies on exposure to strong sunlight and is suitable for silver ear fungus, black wood ear fungus, oyster mushrooms, Phoenix-tail mushrooms, lion's mane mushrooms, etc.

Processing edible fungi by sun-drying is both simple and economical, and is relatively commonly used. Spread the freshly harvested edible fungi on screens woven from bamboo or reeds. When arranging them, the method differs depending on the type of fungus. For silver ear fungus, the ear pieces should face upward with the base resting against the screen, arranged one by one, and they must never overlap, to prevent crushing the shape of the pieces. Other mushrooms should be placed with the caps facing upward and the gills facing downward, arranged neatly to prevent overlapping. Dry them in the sun during the day, and at night move them indoors together with the screens. After 1 to 2 days of drying, the screens can be combined, and after another 3 days of drying, turn each edible fungus over to dry, that is, with the ear base and mushroom gills facing upward; after drying, they are the finished product. The oven-drying method is used during the harvest season when cloudy and rainy weather makes sun-drying impossible. First spread the fresh mushrooms on bamboo trays and bake them over charcoal fire; when they are 80 percent dry, pour them into baking cages and dry them over a low fire until completely dry. Professional growers with larger production scale can build drying rooms of brick and wood construction, with drying stoves. When fresh ear fungus enters the drying room, the temperature is controlled between 35°C and 45°C, with an electric fan used for exhaust; after 6 to 8 hours, the moisture content of the ear pieces is about 30 percent. Raise the temperature to 50°C-60°C and maintain it for 6 to 10 hours; when the ear petals are dry but the ear base is not yet dry, lower the temperature to 30°C-45°C until drying is complete. The baking temperature for shiitake mushrooms should be low first and then high; at the beginning the temperature should not exceed 40°C, and after 3 to 4 hours, raise the temperature by 5°C, taking care to exhaust moisture. For straw mushrooms, the initial drying temperature is maintained at 40°C for 1 hour, then raised to 50°C for 1 hour, and finally raised to 60°C until drying is complete.

Combined sun-drying and oven-drying method: This method is suitable for shiitake mushrooms and straw mushrooms. First place the fresh mushrooms on bamboo screens and sun-dry them until 50 percent dry, then put them into flame cages for oven-drying. Before sun-drying straw mushrooms, cut the mushroom buds lengthwise into two halves, keeping the mushroom skirt still connected, place them on bamboo screens with the cut side facing downward and the mushroom skirt facing upward, and expose them to the sun for 4 to 6 hours, then dry them with baking cages (using a low fire and keeping them smokeless). Far-infrared drying method: Place the fresh mushrooms in drying frames and send them onto the material racks inside the cabinet, set the temperature to 40°C-65°C, and switch on the power; when the temperature rises to 40°C-65°C, turn off the fan, and after another 2-3 hours, cut off the power and use the residual heat in the oven to promote drying of the mushroom bodies. Generally each batch needs 8-10 hours of baking, and when the moisture content drops to 12 percent-13 percent, they can be stored in the warehouse for preservation.