DEVELOPMENT OF ACIDIFICATION PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE COLOR AND REDUCE THERMOPHILIC SPOILAGE OF CANNED MUSHROOMS

An acid vacuum hydration process followed by canning in EDTA/brine was evaluated for improving color and reducing thermophilic spoilage of canned mushrooms. Blanching in citric, fumaric or phosphoric acids and vacuum hydration in 0.05 M citric acid (pH 3.5) improved the color of the canned product significantly over untreated controls. EDTA (500 ppm) in the canning brine further improved color. Application of the citric acid vacuum hydration process to 227 kg quantities of fresh mushroom tissue in a commercial cannery resulted in no loss in canned product yield, significantly improved product color, greatly minimized thermophilic spoilage and did not significantly influence flavor and texture.