Effect of temperature, osmotic solution concentration and mass ratio on kinetics of osmotic dehydration of button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus)

Button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) is the most widely cultivated and consumed mushroom in the world but preservation methods are necessary to extend shelf life of fresh mushroom. Drying is one of the most important methods to increase the shelf life of high moisture products. Since mushrooms are very sensitive to temperature, choosing a proper drying method is very important. In this study the effect of osmotic dehydration in different concentrations (10, 20, 30 and 40% w/w) of sucrose solutions, temperatures (30, 40, 50 and 60 C) and different mushroom-solution ratio (1:10, 1:15 and 1:25) on kinetics properties of mushroom slices during 5 hours was studied. The results showed that the moisture content of samples decreased with increasing of temperature and sucrose concentration, while Brix increased. Depending on applied treatments, final moisture content and Brix of mushroom slices after osmotic process were in the range of 47.6-87.9% and 7.4-46.7 respectively. Kinetics curves of moisture content and Brix were also obtained during osmotic dehydration process. It was also observed that concentration of osmotic solution is the only effective factor on rehydration ratio of dried mushroom slices.Keywords: Button mushroom; Osmotic dehydration; Brix; Rehydration