IMPROVEMENT OF THE SHELF LIFE AND NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF FERMENTED MUSHROOMS (PEKASAM CENDAWAN) THROUGH GAMMA RADIATION AND OPTIMIZED STORAGE CONDITIONS

Abstract

 

Fresh mushrooms have a short shelf life of about three days. To extend this, fermentation combined with gamma radiation (0, 1, and 5 kGy) was studied over a 12-day period using four packaging methods: cold temperature-sealed (CT-S), cold temperature-unsealed (CT-U), room temperature-sealed (RT-S), and room temperature-unsealed (RT-U). Key parameters assessed included color, texture, and microbial contamination. By days 9 and 12, yellow spots appeared on non-radiated CT-S samples, while CT-U samples yellowed by day 12. Radiation at 1 kGy delayed yellowing, whereas 5 kGy caused yellowing in CT-S samples by day 12. Radiation significantly influenced color (p<0.05), particularly in 1 and 5 kGy samples. Texture also changed significantly (p<0.05) across conditions and radiation doses. No microbial contamination was observed in either radiated (1 and 5 kGy) or non-radiated samples. Further analysis of 5 kGy-irradiated mushrooms stored under CT-U conditions showed increased ash (2.5%), protein (4.1%), and carbohydrate (12.7%) content compared to non-radiated controls (2.1%, 3.3%, and 11.4%, respectively). Moisture content was slightly lower in radiated samples (80.3% vs. 82.8%), while fat (0.4%) and fiber (<0.1%) remained unchanged. In conclusion, gamma radiation enhanced the preservation and nutritional quality of fermented mushrooms with minimal adverse effects on their physical and chemical properties.