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The purpose of this paper is to examine compositional differences between brown and white varieties of Agaricus bisporus during shelf life and to determine if the growing demand for the brown variety is scientifically justified.

Field research enabled analyzing consumers’ perceptions on intrinsic, extrinsic and quality characteristics of mushrooms. A total of 275 consumers participated in the survey. Obtained results were used for comparing white and brown varieties of A. bisporus over a period of 22 days. Mushrooms were packed in air and in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) at 4°C. Samples were analyzed for their nutritional, antioxidative and microbiological characteristics.

Two weeks from harvest, white variety showed higher amount of essential nutrients, while during the third week, brown mushrooms were more nutritionally valuable. Brown variety had better antioxidative ability for all 22 days of storage. Aerobic plate count (APC) was as expected for the mushrooms. MAPs significantly lowered APC in both varieties. The number of Enterobacteriaceae was equal for both varieties at the beginning, but later on they developed much faster in the case of brown variety. Field research combined with specific analyses clarified that there are no nutritive or microbiological reasons for the precedence of brown variety over white.

Sensory aspect of the quality of mushrooms was not analyzed.

Market trend toward brown variety was scientifically challenged.

White button (Agaricus bisporus) mushroom (WBM) is a good source of fiber, protein and unsaturated fatty acids and is considered an effective food for the treatment of hyperlipidemia.

Male Wistar strain rats (28) were divided into four groups, two control and two experimental, which were fed a semi-synthetic diet containing 1 per cent cholesterol and supplemented with 5 and 10 per cent dried mushroom for a period of 42 days. At the end of the experiment, the rats were anesthetized and blood samples were taken. The serum and liver were analyzed for total lipids, triglycerides and phospholipids.

Serum total lipid and triglyceride levels were reduced significantly in rats fed on 5 and 10 per cent WBM. However, serum phospholipid levels were decreased only in rats fed on 10 per cent WBM. The deposition of total lipids and triglycerides in liver decreased significantly in the experimental rats. However, no significant differences were observed in liver phospholipid levels in any experimental group of rats.

Hyperlipidemia is one of the leading medical problems nowadays, and it represents a major concern because of the associated death rates occurring in different communities. The study results indicate that this problem can be reduced through the consumption of A. bisporus mushrooms.

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the quality characteristics of white button mushroom powder enrichment in sponge cake. The developed product can be a promising inclusion in the convenience functional foods and would serve the purpose of improving nutritional status of consumers.

Cakes containing graded levels of agaricus bisporus (white button mushroom) powder were prepared by replacing wheat flour with 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 per cent mushroom powder. The effect of mushroom powder supplementation on physical, nutritive and sensory quality of the cakes was evaluated and analyzed statistically using Agres-Agdata software.

Batter density and specific volume of cake samples decreased with increasing levels of mushroom powder in the formulation, which is contrary to the knowledge that they are inversely proportional. For 20 per cent enrichment, batter density and specific volume decreased by 8.23 and 5.79 per cent, respectively. There was no significant difference in individual organoleptic attributes of cake samples up to a level of 20 per cent fortification of mushroom powder, with significant nutrient enrichment (p > 0.05).

Replacing flour in cakes has been tried with many protein-rich ingredients to improve the nutritional quality of cake although with limiting success when it comes to sensorial acceptability. Mushroom powder was incorporated in the formulation to enrich sponge cakes. The processing technology will also reduce post-harvest losses in mushrooms and improve the nutritional status of society.

Gathering edible mushrooms from the fields and forest is nowadays more of a leisure activity than a serious search for food. When man's survival depended on his searches for the products of nature, wild edible species of mushroom probably made significant contributions to his diet and this is probably true today in some remote regions of the world where acute food shortages occur. In the Himalayas for example, the wild mushrooms that are eaten by the native monkeys are regarded as nutritious and edible. When plentiful these are gathered by the native population and preserved by drying in the sun for later consumption.

The purpose of this study was to optimize the parameters for enhancing the vitamin D₂ formation in three edible mushroom varieties, namely, shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes), white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) and oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) using ultraviolet (UV) irradiation.

Freshly harvested mushrooms were irradiated with UV-B and UV-C lamps. Further, mushrooms were treated with UV-B at a distance ranging between 10 and 50 cm from the UV light source, for 15–150 min, to maximize the conversion of ergosterol to vitamin D₂. Analysis of vitamin D₂ content in mushrooms before and after UV exposure was done by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC).

HPLC results showed a significant (p < 0.001) increase in vitamin D₂ levels of shiitake (17.3 ± 0.35 µg/g), button (24.9 ± 0.71 µg/g) and oyster (19.1 ± 0.35 µg/g) mushrooms, irradiated with UV-B at a distance of 20–30 cm for 120 min. Further, stability studies revealed that vitamin D₂ levels in UV-B-irradiated mushrooms gradually increased for 48 and 72 h of storage at room and refrigeration temperatures, respectively. During cooking operations, 62%–93% of vitamin D₂ was retained in UV-B-irradiated mushrooms.

This study describes the most effective parameters such as ideal wavelength, mushrooms size, duration of exposure and distance from UV sources for maximum vitamin D₂ formation in edible mushrooms using UV irradiation. Further, assessment of vitamin D₂ stability in UV exposed mushrooms during storage period and cooking operations has been carried out. In addition, this study also provides a comparison of the vitamin D₂ levels of the three widely cultivated and consumed mushroom varieties treated simultaneously under similar UV exposure conditions.

This paper aims to review the types of pizza and the functionality of basic ingredients of pizza with special focus on the effects of pizza toppings on health.

Phenomenological research has raised awareness and increased insight into the role of various pizza ingredients and health benefits of different pizza toppings and consequently pizza is called a “functional food”. The approach is based on observation of the online research, a close watch on the pizza industry, analysis of research papers in journals, and brainstorming research on the effect of packaging on the quality of different pizza ingredients with a co‐researcher for four years.

The changing life patterns and food habits of people and their preferences have catapulted the market to grow for convenience and fast foods. Pizza is one of the most popular family foods worldwide and has gained widespread consumer acceptance as a healthy and convenience food. It is a multi‐component product with composite number of toppings. It provides an array of nutrients in significant amounts, in relation to its energy and fat content, making it a nutrient‐dense food. It is cheap and can be delivered in a very short time. In particular, pizza supplies 30 per cent of the USA recommended daily allowance of vitamins A, C, B₂, calcium and protein. It contains 50 per cent of vitamin B₁ and 35 per cent of iron. Furthermore, pizza has anticancerous effects beyond the basic nutrition it provides, because of the potent antioxidant lycopene present in tomatoes.

This paper offers a holistic view that would guide a reader to identify the beneficial effects of pizza.

To the uninitiated mushrooms may seem to pop out of the ground in a very mysterious way, but commercially mushrooms are grown in an environment that is carefully controlled and regulated at every stage

This article aims to focus on the food value of the mushroom. Because of its low calorific value and very high content of proteins, vitamins and minerals, mushrooms may contribute significantly in overcoming protein deficiency in developing countries like India.

Oyster (Pleurotus sajor caju) mushroom cultivated on two substrates i.e. wheat straw and brassica straw were procured. Freshly harvested and washed mushrooms were cut into small pieces. Sliced mushrooms were divided into four portions. Two portions were left untreated and dried using sun and oven drying methods. The third portion was blanched in boiling water at 100 °C for two mins, cooled immediately and drained. The blanched samples were divided into two portions. One portion was sun dried and another was oven dried. The fourth portion was soaked in solution of citric acid (0.25 percent) for 30 mins and drained. The steeped samples were divided into two portions. One portion was sun dried and another was oven dried. Each sample was dried from initial moisture content of 91 percent on fresh weight basis of the final moisture content 10 percent on dry weight basis. All the samples were ground to make fine powder. The untreated and treated samples were analysed for physico‐chemical properties and sensory evaluation by using standard methods.

Treated and untreated powders prepared from oyster (Pleurotus sajor caju) mushrooms grown on two substrates i.e. wheat and brassica straw were analysed for physical and chemical characteristics. Among the powders, T₆ (steeped in 0.25 percent citric acid and oven dried) powder exhibited highest yield followed by untreated and blanched powders. On the other hand, untreated samples T₁ (sun dried) and T₄ (oven dried) showed higher browning index as compared to pretreated powders. Steeped samples (T₃ and T₆) from both type of mushrooms, irrespective of drying methods exhibited higher values of water retention capacity and swelling index as well as sensory attributes (colour, aroma and texture) In terms of chemical analysis, steeped samples from both types of mushrooms, irrespective of drying methods, exhibited higher contents crude protein, crude fibre and ash as compared to blanched powders. Blanching in hot water may cause leaching out of nutrients.

With regard to healthy benefits and medicinal value of mushroom, its production and consumption should be increased. However, mushroom production does not demand land, but helps in the bioconversion of potential pollutants like agro‐wastes to useful and nutritive food for human consumption, which is essential to a developing country like India.

The findings of this article may contribute significantly in overcoming protein deficiency in developing countries like India. Mushrooms have a low carbohydrate content, no cholesterol and are almost fat free. Therefore, they form an important constituent of a diet for a population suffering from atherosclerosis.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the strain of oyster mushroom (OM) Pleurotus sapidus cultivated in a local (commercial) farm, and to generate a total quality index (TQI) on the strain using different modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) gas mixtures.

A phylogenetic tree was constructed using the MEGA software to identify the specific strain of P. sapidus grown in a local farm. The effects of MAP on fresh fruiting bodies of the identified strain were determined under three conditions: high carbon dioxide packaging (HCP: 20 per cent CO₂, 15 per cent O₂), low carbon dioxide packaging (LCP: 2 per cent CO₂, 30 per cent O₂) and high nitrogen packaging (HNP: 85 per cent N₂, 15 per cent O₂). All samples were stored at 4 ^oC for up to ten days, and subjected to total phenolic content (TPC), colour retention (CR) and sensory analysis. Quality parameters such as chewiness and odour were used to obtain the TQI.

From the phylogenetic analysis, a new strain (P. sapidus strain QDR) with 99 per cent similarity to P. sapidus was identified. Among the three MAP treatments, HCP recorded the highest TPC (2.85 mg GAE/g) and CR (60.36) after ten days, although only its CR was significantly different (p<0.05) from the control. Feedback from 30 sensory panellists indicated that both HCP and LCP were generally more effective in retaining the colour–odour of OM. The optimum TQI for HCP was obtained based on the observed parameters, which is useful for the large-scale packaging of OM.

Scientific evidence has revealed that packaging trend for commercially grown OM affects consumer’s acceptance.

The amount of food wasted every year is 1.3 billion metric tonne (MT), out of which 0.5 billion MT is contributed by the fruits processing industries. The waste includes by-products such as peels, pomace and seeds and is a good source of bioactive compounds like phenolic compounds, flavonoids, pectin lipids and dietary fibres. Hence, the purpose of the present study is to review the novel extraction techniques used for the extraction of the bio active compounds from food waste for the selection of suitable extraction method.

Novel extraction techniques such as ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, enzyme-assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, pulsed electric field extraction and pressurized liquid extraction have emerged to overcome the drawbacks and constraints of conventional extraction techniques. Hence, this study is focussed on novel extraction techniques, their limitations and optimization for the extraction of bioactive compounds from fruit and vegetable waste.

This study presents a comprehensive review on the novel extraction processes that have been adopted for the extraction of bioactive compounds from food waste. This paper also summarizes bioactive compounds' optimum extraction condition from various food waste using novel extraction techniques.

Food waste is rich in bioactive compounds, and its efficient extraction may add value to the food processing industries. Hence, compressive analysis is needed to overcome the problem associated with the extraction and selection of suitable extraction techniques.

Selection of a suitable extraction method will not only add value to food waste but also reduce waste dumping and the cost of bioactive compounds.

This paper presents the research progress on the extraction of bioactive active compounds from food waste using novel extraction techniques.