Effect of egg white protein and agar-agar on quality of button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) during cold storage

The commercialization of mushrooms is critical because they have a short shelf life. For this reason, we investigated the effect of agar-agar and egg white protein on weight loss, polyphenol oxidase and catalase, protein content, total phenolics, total antioxidant capacity, respiration rate, ethylene production and storability of button mushrooms. Our findings suggested that the treatment of edible coating delayed remarkably senescence and maintained the quality of button mushroom. Egg white protein coating was more effective on protein content, total phenolics, antioxidant capacity, respiration rate, and ethylene production than agar-agar coating. On the other hand, agar-agar coating was more effective on weight loss, polyphenol oxidase, catalase, and color changes. Ethylene production and respiration rate were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in edible coating-treated samples than uncoated samples. Furthermore, a positive correlation was found between total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. It can be recommended that abovementioned edible coatings could be used as a commercial treatment for maintaining the quality of button mushrooms during long-term storage period.