A novel active packaging for extending the shelf-life of fresh mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus)

Active packaging plays a promising approach to extend the shelf-life of packed fresh mushrooms without compromising the fresh status. Four different active agents were incorporated into the packaging material to extend the shelf-life of packed mushrooms: sodium metabisulphite combined with citric acid; green tea extract; cinnamon essential oil and purple carrot extract. The sulphur dioxide-based packaging maintained the mushrooms white and appealing to consumers for a longer time than conventional packaging. The release of sulphur dioxide was carefully adjusted to avoid undesirable yellowing while keeping the whitening effect. Sulphur dioxide was determined in the mushrooms after the storage period, being the resulting concentration below the current limit of 10 μg/g. Green tea extract at high concentration maintained white colour of mushrooms longer than blank samples. Cinnamon essential oil and purple carrot extracts did not show enough antioxidant properties to inhibit the spoilage of mushrooms and/or extending their shelf-life.