What Are the Grading Standards for Edible Mushrooms? Read This One Article to Understand
What are the grading standards for edible mushrooms.
For fresh edible mushrooms, the general requirement is to harvest at seven or eight-tenths maturity, but this should be determined according to the specific requirements of the particular buyer and other conditions, and cannot be generalized. The overall requirements should be: 1. The right strain (variety); 2. The substrate meets the requirements; 3. No chemical plants, hospitals, livestock and poultry farms, garbage transfer stations, waste piles, manure processing plants, etc. within 1000 m of the cultivation site; 4. The pesticide residue level of the cultivation raw materials is less than or equal to the relevant standards; 5. No prohibited drugs or additives are used during cultivation; 6. Equipment, tools, materials, etc. do not contain prohibited ingredients; 7. The fresh mushrooms are not overaged, free of insect damage and insect eggs, free of diseases, etc. The grading standards for four kinds of edible mushrooms are briefly described below for readers' reference.
Button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) Grade 1: Cap diameter 1.8-4 cm, stipe length 1.5 cm or less; when the cap diameter is 3 cm or less, the stipe length must not exceed 1/2 of the cap diameter figure. Requirements: The mushroom shape is round and neat, naturally pure white; the cap margin is incurved, with no opened veil and no signs of opening; the stipe is cut flat; the stipe has no white core and no hollow core; the mushroom body has no hard spots, no insect damage, and no broken mushrooms.
Grade 2: Cap diameter 1.8-4.5 cm, stipe length 1.5 cm or less; the mushroom shape is round and neat in appearance, but a small number of deformed ones are allowed, the color is pure white or slightly spotted, the stipe is thick and firm, loose in the middle, cut somewhat unevenly, with stains; the stipe has no hollow core, no insect damage, and no broken mushrooms.
Grade 3: Cap diameter 1.8-5.5 cm, stipe length 1.5 cm or less; pure white or slightly spotted, with no opened mushrooms; thick-skinned mushrooms, hollow mushrooms and a small number of broken mushrooms are allowed.
Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) Grade 1: Cap diameter 5.5-7 cm, round and neat, normal brown color; stipe length not greater than the cap radius, cut flat; no insect-damaged mushrooms, no broken mushrooms.
Grade 2: Cap diameter 4.5-5.4 cm, cap round and neat, normal color; stipe length not greater than the cap radius; no insect-damaged mushrooms, no broken mushrooms.
Grade 3: Cap diameter 3-4.4 cm, cap round and neat, normal color; stipe length not greater than the cap radius; no insect-damaged mushrooms, a small number of broken mushrooms allowed.
Straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) Grade 1: Mushroom body height 6-8 cm, transverse diameter 4.5-5 cm, normal color, mushroom body firm and compact, no opened mushrooms, no insect-damaged mushrooms.
Grade 2: Mushroom body height 5-5.9 cm, transverse diameter 4-4.4 cm, normal color, mushroom body basically firm and compact, or Grade 1 mushrooms that have become loose inside and are about to open, no insect damage.
Grade 3: Mushroom body height 5-5.9 cm, transverse diameter 4-5 cm, normal color, loose inside to the touch; about to open, no insect damage.
Substandard: The volva has just ruptured, no insect damage, size not counted.
Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) Grade 1: Cap transverse diameter 1-5 cm, natural color, thick flesh, about 8-tenths maturity, cap round, plump and neat, stipe length 2 cm or less; no rot, no impurities, no insect damage, no breakage.
Grade 2: Cap transverse diameter 5-10 cm, natural color, thick flesh, about 8-tenths maturity, cap round and neat without breakage, stipe length 2 cm or less; no water soaking, no rot, no impurities, no insect damage, no breakage.
Grade 3: Cap transverse diameter 10 cm or more, mature mushrooms, 5% broken mushrooms allowed, no water soaking, no impurities, no rot, no insect damage.
For fresh edible mushrooms, the general requirement is to harvest at seven or eight-tenths maturity, but this should be determined according to the specific requirements of the particular buyer and other conditions, and cannot be generalized. The overall requirements should be: 1. The right strain (variety); 2. The substrate meets the requirements; 3. No chemical plants, hospitals, livestock and poultry farms, garbage transfer stations, waste piles, manure processing plants, etc. within 1000 m of the cultivation site; 4. The pesticide residue level of the cultivation raw materials is less than or equal to the relevant standards; 5. No prohibited drugs or additives are used during cultivation; 6. Equipment, tools, materials, etc. do not contain prohibited ingredients; 7. The fresh mushrooms are not overaged, free of insect damage and insect eggs, free of diseases, etc. The grading standards for four kinds of edible mushrooms are briefly described below for readers' reference.
Button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus)
Grade 1: Cap diameter 1.8-4 cm, stipe length 1.5 cm or less; when the cap diameter is 3 cm or less, the stipe length must not exceed 1/2 of the cap diameter figure. Requirements: The mushroom shape is round and neat, naturally pure white; the cap margin is incurved, with no opened veil and no signs of opening; the stipe is cut flat; the stipe has no white core and no hollow core; the mushroom body has no hard spots, no insect damage, and no broken mushrooms.
Grade 2: Cap diameter 1.8-4.5 cm, stipe length 1.5 cm or less; the mushroom shape is round and neat in appearance, but a small number of deformed ones are allowed, the color is pure white or slightly spotted, the stipe is thick and firm, loose in the middle, cut somewhat unevenly, with stains; the stipe has no hollow core, no insect damage, and no broken mushrooms.
Grade 3: Cap diameter 1.8-5.5 cm, stipe length 1.5 cm or less; pure white or slightly spotted, with no opened mushrooms; thick-skinned mushrooms, hollow mushrooms and a small number of broken mushrooms are allowed.
Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes)
Grade 1: Cap diameter 5.5-7 cm, round and neat, normal brown color; stipe length not greater than the cap radius, cut flat; no insect-damaged mushrooms, no broken mushrooms.
Grade 2: Cap diameter 4.5-5.4 cm, cap round and neat, normal color; stipe length not greater than the cap radius; no insect-damaged mushrooms, no broken mushrooms.
Grade 3: Cap diameter 3-4.4 cm, cap round and neat, normal color; stipe length not greater than the cap radius; no insect-damaged mushrooms, a small number of broken mushrooms allowed.
Straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea)
Grade 1: Mushroom body height 6-8 cm, transverse diameter 4.5-5 cm, normal color, mushroom body firm and compact, no opened mushrooms, no insect-damaged mushrooms.
Grade 2: Mushroom body height 5-5.9 cm, transverse diameter 4-4.4 cm, normal color, mushroom body basically firm and compact, or Grade 1 mushrooms that have become loose inside and are about to open, no insect damage.
Grade 3: Mushroom body height 5-5.9 cm, transverse diameter 4-5 cm, normal color, loose inside to the touch; about to open, no insect damage.
Substandard: The volva has just ruptured, no insect damage, size not counted.
Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)
Grade 1: Cap transverse diameter 1-5 cm, natural color, thick flesh, about 8-tenths maturity, cap round, plump and neat, stipe length 2 cm or less; no rot, no impurities, no insect damage, no breakage.
Grade 2: Cap transverse diameter 5-10 cm, natural color, thick flesh, about 8-tenths maturity, cap round and neat without breakage, stipe length 2 cm or less; no water soaking, no rot, no impurities, no insect damage, no breakage.
Grade 3: Cap transverse diameter 10 cm or more, mature mushrooms, 5% broken mushrooms allowed, no water soaking, no impurities, no rot, no insect damage.