Applications of Essential Oils in the Vapor Phase to Prolong Culinary Mushroom Shelf Life
Disciplines
Food Microbiology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Culinary mushrooms have seen a rise in popularity over the last decade. Despite this boom, mushrooms still suffer from higher levels of degradation, limiting distribution and resulting in high volumes of food waste. One of the more popular varieties is the oyster mushroom, P. ostreatus. Due to the lack of a thick cuticle present in fruits and vegetables, mushrooms, such as P. ostreatus, are especially prone to degradation after only a few days (3-5). Browning and other forms of deterioration are facilitated through internal and external factors usually driven by oxidation. These include bacterial growth on the surface of the mushroom and natural internal factors. Past research has shown that certain constituents of essential oils exhibit antibacterial and antioxidant properties, a promising prospect for prolonging shelf life. This comes at a time when consumers are trending toward more natural sources of preservation. One application, modified atmospheric packaging (MAP), employs volatilization of essential oils (EOs) a process shown to inhibit bacterial growth. Essential oils (EOs) are botanical plant extracts classified as volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). These compounds readily volatilize at room temperature allowing them to easily coat surfaces. Once volatilized in the headspace of packaging, EOs are hypothesized to degrade the cellular membrane of bacteria. They also function as antioxidants, sequestering reactive oxygen species (ROS) that increase post-harvest and accelerate degradation. This study evaluated the inhibitory ability of 5 essential oils (cinnamon bark, cinnamon leaf, clove bud, oregano, and thyme) upon bacterial cultures in the vapor phase. Using inverted Petri dish volatilization methods, previously described in the literature, zones of inhibition for three representative bacterial species (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter cloacae, and Bacillus cereus) were measured for each EO, at multiple concentrations, to find the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC).
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CSM - Molecular and Cellular Biology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Christopher Cornelison
Applications of Essential Oils in the Vapor Phase to Prolong Culinary Mushroom Shelf Life
Culinary mushrooms have seen a rise in popularity over the last decade. Despite this boom, mushrooms still suffer from higher levels of degradation, limiting distribution and resulting in high volumes of food waste. One of the more popular varieties is the oyster mushroom, P. ostreatus. Due to the lack of a thick cuticle present in fruits and vegetables, mushrooms, such as P. ostreatus, are especially prone to degradation after only a few days (3-5). Browning and other forms of deterioration are facilitated through internal and external factors usually driven by oxidation. These include bacterial growth on the surface of the mushroom and natural internal factors. Past research has shown that certain constituents of essential oils exhibit antibacterial and antioxidant properties, a promising prospect for prolonging shelf life. This comes at a time when consumers are trending toward more natural sources of preservation. One application, modified atmospheric packaging (MAP), employs volatilization of essential oils (EOs) a process shown to inhibit bacterial growth. Essential oils (EOs) are botanical plant extracts classified as volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). These compounds readily volatilize at room temperature allowing them to easily coat surfaces. Once volatilized in the headspace of packaging, EOs are hypothesized to degrade the cellular membrane of bacteria. They also function as antioxidants, sequestering reactive oxygen species (ROS) that increase post-harvest and accelerate degradation. This study evaluated the inhibitory ability of 5 essential oils (cinnamon bark, cinnamon leaf, clove bud, oregano, and thyme) upon bacterial cultures in the vapor phase. Using inverted Petri dish volatilization methods, previously described in the literature, zones of inhibition for three representative bacterial species (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter cloacae, and Bacillus cereus) were measured for each EO, at multiple concentrations, to find the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC).