Atmospheric Composition and Quality of Fresh Mushrooms in Modified Atmosphere Packages As Affected by Storage Temperature Abuse

ABSTRACT Mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) were packaged in 4‐liter modified atmosphere (MA) containers, and a steady‐state atmosphere of 5% and 10% was maintained at 4 °C. Temperature was fluctuated from 4 °C to 20 °C during 12‐d storage period in cycles: 2 d at 4 °C followed by 2 d at 20 °C. Temperature increase during fluctuations caused anoxic atmospheres both in O2 (1.5%) and CO2 (22% to 10%). The quality of mushrooms stored under temperature fluctuating regime was severely affected as indicated by extensive browning, loss of firmness, and the level of ethanol in the tissue compared to mushrooms stored at constant temperature. It was clear that temperature fluctuation, even if it should occur once, can seriously compromise the benefits of MA packaging and safety of the packaged produce.