Top 4 Mushroom Preservation Techniques

Mushrooms are highly perishable, with a limited shelf life, especially when not consumed promptly. At room temperature, they lose their freshness within a day and deteriorate quickly if not processed or kept in the refrigerator. Mushrooms when exposed for longer periods in the air results in brown color due to development of the insoluble brown pigment known as Melanin.

In the initial processing stage, mushrooms are washed to remove soil or compost, followed by a brief blanching to deactivate enzymes. To prevent discoloration, a common practice involves treating them with brine, salt, or citric acid before the canning or packaging process. Various methods are employed for processing and preserving mushrooms:

Freezing:

Given their high water content exceeding 90%, freezing proves to be an effective preservation method for mushrooms. They are put in Freeze dryer for about 24-36 hours at nearly -40°C to -50°C. Due to the process of sublimation the water content inside the mushrooms is completely taken out.

 

Drying

The traditional and fundamental approach to processing is drying or dehydration, which hinders microbial growth by eliminating moisture. Dried mushrooms have intense aroma and savory taste.

Before drying the mushrooms by any means, first they need to cleaned with cold water to remove and dirt particles. Slice them to speed up the process of drying. Mushrooms can be dried through sun-drying which is economical way, producing a darker product. Alternatively, mechanical drying methods such as tray drying, freeze drying, vacuum drying, microwave oven drying, or air drying can be used.Once completely dried , they need to be stored in Air tight containers. Rehydrated dried mushrooms find application in soups, stews, pickles, and more.

Canning:

Canning encompasses preservation methods using brine solution. Quantity of Mushrooms and Brine Solution need to be maintained in ratio of 1:1. Before sealing in the cans the freshly harvested mushrooms undergo the process involves cleaning, grading, blanching. Once the Mushroom and Brine solution are filled in the cans, before sealing they undergo exhaustion to eliminate air.

After sealing in these cans undergo heat sterilization, cooling, labeling, and packaging for storage or consumption.These canned mushrooms are easily available online.

Pickling:

An ancient preservation method, pickling utilizes a combination of spice, salt, vinegar, and oil. Pickled mushrooms, infused with spices like turmeric, red chili, garlic, clove, along with salt and oil, undergo fermentation, resulting in a mild flavor.