How to Keep Edible Mushrooms Fresh? Three Practical Methods Shared

Edible mushrooms have a high water content, are rich in nutrients, and have a tender texture. If they are not sold and processed in time after harvest, their commercial quality will be seriously affected, causing relatively large economic losses. Therefore, mushroom growers must master freshness-keeping techniques for edible mushrooms. By keeping edible mushrooms fresh, their nutritional value can be preserved to the greatest extent, and they also have the characteristics of being convenient to store, process, and transport. Here are 3 freshness-keeping methods for edible mushrooms that are simple, easy to master, and highly effective.

The quick-freezing freshness-keeping method is suitable for keeping edible mushrooms such as oyster mushrooms fresh. After harvesting the fresh mushrooms, first use scissors or a knife to separate them into individual fruiting bodies, rinse them clean, and separate them according to mushroom size and whether they are old or tender. Then add water to a large pot, bring it to a boil, and put in the washed fresh mushrooms. The amount of fresh mushrooms added should be 20%-30% of the boiling water. Stir in one direction with a slotted spoon or spatula, and turn them over when the oyster mushrooms become soft. After the pot comes to a boil again, scoop them out and put them into a large vat filled with cold water. After cooling, scoop them into a sieve to drain, then put 0.5 kg or 1 kg into correspondingly sized non-toxic plastic food bags and seal them. Finally, put the mushrooms into food boxes and place them in a cold storage room (at about -18°C). They can be taken out at any time when they need to be sold or further processed.

The low-temperature freshness-keeping method is suitable for keeping edible mushrooms such as straw mushrooms fresh. When straw mushrooms are 60%-70% mature, harvest and transport them in time. The transport loading boxes for straw mushrooms are generally wooden boxes or plastic boxes about 40 cm high. Place a 5 cm thick layer of crushed ice at the bottom, cover it with plastic film, place about 20 cm thick fresh straw mushrooms on the film, cover again with plastic film, and then spread another layer of crushed ice on the film. Then stack them box by box and load them onto a vehicle for transport. They can also be packed in 25 cm high cardboard boxes and immediately sent into a refrigerated truck with a cooling unit, cooling them to about 14°C.

The cooling freshness-keeping method is suitable for keeping edible mushrooms such as shiitake mushrooms fresh. That is, put the fresh mushrooms into 30-micron-thick plastic bags and store them in a 1°C environment; the freshness-keeping period can reach 18 days; at 6°C it can reach 13-14 days; at 15°C it is 5 days.