The Effect of Polylactic Acid Packaging Modified with Clay Nanoparticles on Quality and Shelf life of Mushroom

One of the newest technologies for storing agricultural products is the biodegradable packagingmethod, in which certain materials are utilized on a nano scale. Edible mushroom is a nutritious agriculturalproduct which can be considered a food source as well as having medicinal applications while having a shortshelf life after harvesting. In this study, the mushroom was packaged in polylactic acid packages containingnanoparticles of clay and the effect of the packaging on the quality characteristics and shelf life of mushroomwere determined. Aiming at determining the most optimal conditions for the packaging of the mushroom, theeffects of the weight percent of nano clay (0, 3 and 6 wt%), time of storage (4, 8 and 12 day), and three differenttemperatures (4, 14, and 24 0C) on the quality characteristics and the shelf life of mushroom have beeninvestigated. Different regression models were adopted to correlate the empirical results of dependent variables,and through statistical analyses the most reliable regression model was selected.