Sorbitol Increases Shelf Life of Fresh Mushrooms Stored in Conventional Packages

Trays containing 100g of mushrooms overwrapped with PVC film were held at 12°C. Two 3 mm holes were made on top of the ovetwrap for ventilation and a Tyvek^R pouch containing sorbitol was placed at the bottom of the tray before storage. Surface moisture content of mushrooms decreased in the presence of sorbitol. Mushrooms packaged with 10g sorbitol had a constant surface moisture content and those packaged with 15g sorbitol had the best overall color. Principal component analysis of Vis‐NIR spectra revealed that surface moisture content affected the scattering of incident light and mushroom color. Lowering of the in‐package relative humidity did not affect the maturation rate of mushrooms, but reduced bacterial growth, suggesting that improvement in color was probably due to reduced bacterial activity.