The Effect of Cumin Essential Oil, Sumac Extract, and Chitosan Coating on the Shelf Life of Agaricus Bisporus

The use of edible coatings and essential oils is important due to their biodegradability, shelf life, and quality characteristics of harvested products.

The present study was conducted in the form of a completely randomized design with 6 treatments including control, chitosan (2%), sumac extract (4%), cumin essential oil (5 μl), chitosan + sumac extract, and chitosan + cumin essential oil in 3 replications and qualitative characteristics of Agaricus bisporus mushroom were evaluated on days 0, 7, 14, and 21 of storage.

The highest tissue stiffness and antioxidant capacity was observed on the day 21 in cumin essential oil and control treatments, respectively. Malondialdehyde (MDA) increased with the increase of storage time from day 0 to day 21. The highest activity of polyphenol oxidase was obtained on the day 7 in the treatment of cumin essence. On the days 7, 14, and 21, the treatment with cumin essential oil and sumac extract showed the highest weight loss. The highest L* color index was observed on day 0 in the control treatment and the highest a* color index was observed on day 7 in chitosan and chitosan + sumac extract treatments. Under the treatment of chitosan on days 14 and 21 and chitosan + cumin essence on day 14, the lowest b* color index was observed. The highest browning index was observed on days 7, 14, and 21 in chitosan + sumac extract, chitosan + cumin essence, and chitosan treatments.

The research treatments showed different results on the qualitative characteristics and shelf life of Agaricus bisporus mushroom. Cumin essential oil and sumac extract alone and in combination with chitosan during the storage period had an effect on the quality characteristics of Agaricus bisporus mushroom.