Thermal Degradation Kinetics of Agaritine in Model Systems and Agaritine Retention in Canned Mushrooms

The effects of heating and pH on agaritine degradation in buffer, mushroom puree and canned mushrooms were investigated. Ampules containing agaritine with citric‐phosphate buffer or agaritine with mushroom puree buffered with the same salts were heated for selected time intervals at temperatures ranging from 101‐133°C. Additionally, cans containing quartered mushrooms with brine and buffer were still‐retorted using five thermal process schedules with equivalent lethalities for Clostridium botulinum (F o values). In both the buffer and puree systems, agaritine degradation could be modeled by first‐order kinetics. In the canning study mushrooms processed for 68 min at 115°C contained about 23% less agaritine than those processed for 11 min at 127°C.