Fertilization Methods for Edible Fungi and Key Points for Fresh Product Preservation, Processing, Storage and Transport

As people's pace of life accelerates and their quality of life improves, convenient, clean, small-packaged fresh mushroom products are deeply welcomed by consumers and have become a development highlight in market sales. So, how can the preservation, processing, storage and transport of fresh edible fungi be done well? The procedures and technical requirements are introduced below:

Place in a low-temperature environment as soon as possible. Once fresh mushrooms are harvested, they must be arranged neatly in small, low containers and sent to a low-temperature workshop as soon as possible for sorting. The container volume is 40 cm x 28 cm x 16 cm (length x width x height), shaped like a turnover box, with a solid bottom plate, round holes about 2-3 cm in diameter preset around the sides, and inset interlocking corner blocks at all four bottom corners to facilitate multi-layer stacking. When harvesting fresh mushrooms, place them in the direction of the heads, without letting heads and tails connect, so as to avoid contamination. The temperature inside the low-temperature workshop is 1°C-3°C; an ordinary constant-temperature cold storage room can be modified for use, and it, together with other packaging containers, should all be stored inside the workshop so that it cools thoroughly. After fresh mushrooms are moved into the workshop in boxes, they should be placed separately and must not be stacked in multiple layers, so that the mushroom bodies can cool fully. This step is especially important for fresh mushrooms harvested when the temperature is above 15°C. The sorting tools include: thin stainless steel knives or bamboo knives, as well as small-package sealing, box-making and other equipment.

Sort carefully for fresh-keeping packaging. First use a small knife to trim the base of the fresh mushrooms clean, remove soil, substrate and other debris, and remove the scales as well when there are many; generally do not wash with water, otherwise the product's shelf life will be shortened. Once the interior of the mushroom bodies has cooled to below 3°C, they can be portioned for packaging. Generally, foam lunch-box-style containers can be used, made into single boxes about 5 cm high, each holding about 150 grams of fresh mushrooms. If plastic packaging is prohibited for sale, custom paper boxes can be made. For shaggy ink cap mushrooms, packaging of 16 cm x 10 cm x 4 cm (length x width x height, the same below) is generally suitable; for almond mushrooms, 15 cm x 10 cm x 6 cm is suitable; for shimeji mushrooms, poplar mushrooms and the like, 16 cm x 8 cm x 4 cm is suitable. Determine the arrangement method according to the morphology and size of the fresh mushrooms, then seal with cling film. Place the small packaging boxes into foam fresh-keeping boxes, each box can hold 36 boxes, and seal the opening with clear adhesive tape.

During storage and transport, attach importance to cooling. For short-term storage and transport, ice cubes or refrigerated trucks can be used for cooling and preservation, with the temperature controlled at 1°C-3°C.