The Effect of Calcium Chloride Added to the Irrigation Water on Quality and Shelf Life of Harvested Mushrooms.

A white hybrid (U-3) strain of cultivated mushrooms ( Agaricus bisporus ) was grown with 0 (control), 0.1 and 0.5% CaCl added to the irrigation water. Harvested mushrooms were stored in film-overwrapped packages at 13°C and evaluated after 0, 2, 4, and 7 or 8 d storage to determine treatment effects on quality and shelf life. At low concentration (0.1%), CaCl had no significant effect on production yield, quality, or postharvest shelf life, but at higher concentration (0.5%), CaCl decreased yield and increased quality and shelf life. At a concentration of 0.5%, yield was decreased by 16%, but solids content of harvested mushrooms was increased 16% and shelf life was increased by about 64%, mainly due to a decreased rate of postharvest bacterial growth and a concomitant reduction of surface browning.