Effects of different drying methods on the product quality and volatile compounds of whole shiitake mushrooms

• Whole shiitake mushrooms were dried by microwave vacuum drying (MVD) and other traditional methods.
• Relative content of sulfur compounds was significantly increased by drying process.
• MVD produced better nutrient retention, high rehydration ratio and color attributes.
• MVD helped to maintain larger amounts of taste-active amino acids.

Various drying methods play important roles in the preservation of foods. However, how the different drying methods affect the quality of some foods is not clear. This paper evaluates the effects of hot air, vacuum, microwave, and microwave vacuum drying techniques on important qualities and volatile compounds of whole shiitake (Lentinus edodes) mushrooms. These four drying methods resulted in a significantly (p < 0.05) increase in the content of total free amino acids and the relative content of sulfur compounds of dried products. Microwave vacuum drying helped to maintain larger amounts of taste-active amino acids, and improved nutrient retention and color attributes. Furthermore, the uniform honeycomb network created by microwave vacuum drying along with a less collapsed structure of dried samples can be used to explain the observed high rehydration ratio. Therefore, microwave vacuum drying should be a potential method for obtaining high-quality dried mushrooms.