Effect of washing with citric acid and antioxidants on the colour and microbiological quality of whole mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus L.)

The effect of washing with citric acid followed by anti-browning treatment involving rinsing with sodium d-isoascorbate or sodium l-ascorbate on the colour, microbiological quality and bacterial blotch of whole mushrooms when stored at 5 °C for up to 13 days at 80% RH was evaluated. Washing with 1% citric acid reduced Pseudomonas counts avoiding bacterial blotch, but caused an important deterioration of colour. When washing with citric acid was followed by an anti-browning treatment, mushrooms colour was improved, at the same time as bacterial blotch was reduced, although the decrease of Pseudomonas counts was smaller than in mushrooms washed only with citric acid. The most effective treatment was washing with 1% citric acid followed by anti-browning treatment with 1.5% sodium l-ascorbate. © 2009 Institute of Food Science and Technology