Recent Trends in Post-Harvest Management and Processing of White Button Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus): A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

The production and post-harvest management of white button mushroom Agaricus bisporus play an important role in meeting the world’s demand, particularly in India, where it offers significant economic gain for the farmers. The aim of the present review is to summarize the nutritional and health aspects of A. bisporus, which are abundant in proteins, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-cancer potential. Despite of extensive studies on the cultivation of mushrooms, a knowledge gap exists in post-harvest physiology, optimization of preservation techniques, and assessment of environment friendly and cost-effective methods for small and marginal farmers. The paper outlines the various factors influencing the mushroom quality and approaches to mitigate such problems with the application of advanced techniques. It reviews the recent trends on post-harvest management, processing, and packaging of white button mushroom with special reference to preservation methods to extend shelf life and quality. Ultrasound, freezing, drying, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), essential oil treatment, etc. are reported as effective processing techniques to retard microbial growth and maintain sensory attributes. This review thus highlights the different strategies to enhance the nutritional quality and marketability of mushrooms to make them a healthy and sustainable food source.