Post-harvest physiology and storage of the white oyster mushroom Pleurotus flabellatus

Changes in the post-harvest storage of the mushroom Pleurotus jlabellatus at ambient temperature were studied. There was a decrease in respiratory rate and soluble carbohydrates along with loss in water content. With progress in period of storage, the fresh mushrooms showed an increase in the activities of 0-diphenoloxidases and proteases accompanied with decrease of total phenols and increase in free amino acids respectively. The degree of discoloration increased with the lapse of storage time. Fresh mushrooms (200 g) packed in 25 μm thick polyethylene bags (16 × 25 cm) with one pin hole on either side stored up to a period of 24 hr at ambient temperature and up to a period of 6 days at 5 ± 2°C in the intact polyethylene bags.