Proteomics and metabolomic analysis provide new insights into the drying changes of Agaricus sinodeliciosus

Agaricus sinodeliciosus is vulnerable to rotting if not stored properly. Locals in the Qinghai Province often dehydrate them by natural wind drying to prolong their storage period. We used proteomic and metabolomic techniques to elucidate the changes in the mushroom proteins and metabolites when they dry out. Notably, 1775 differential proteins were identified. Metabolic analysis revealed that the drying treatment resulted in 140 upregulated and 19 downregulated differential metabolites; most of the upregulated metabolites were associated with mushroom-specific flavour substances. These metabolites mainly included organic acids, carbohydrates, amino acids, and a small amount of active mercury. Combined proteomic and metabolomic analyses also revealed that the majority of proteins and metabolites were enriched in pathways such as membrane transport, organic acid metabolism, glucose, amino acid metabolism, and lipid and oxide phosphorylation. The results provide new insights into Qinghai mushroom sub-entity drying, which will be helpful in guiding drying processing technologies.