Conventional and Novel Applications of Edible Mushrooms in Today's Food Industry

For centuries, mushrooms have been used as a part of the human diet and also as medicinal ingredients because they are a good source of nutrients and have biological activities. More than half of the mushrooms produced for human consumption worldwide are processed, mainly in canned form. Recently, various studies have been conducted to increase the application of mushrooms in processed foods. However, limited information is available regarding the various applications of edible mushrooms. Therefore, the conventional and current applications of edible mushrooms as well as their processing considerations were reviewed in this article. Mushrooms were directly added to various products to increase the quality characteristics and beneficial health effects of processed foods. Indirectly, mushrooms were used as a substitute for enzymes or other functional compounds. To keep or improve mushroom quality during processing and temperature extremes, pretreatment as well as irradiation conditions were proposed. Practical Applications Many varieties of mushrooms are considered to be useful natural products because they are a good source of nutrients and have other biological activities, such as hypotensive, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Recently, various studies have been conducted to increase the application of mushrooms in processed foods in both direct and indirect ways. This review regarding conventional and current applications of edible mushrooms as well as their processing considerations will provide valuable information to the scientific community, to industries that are interested in mushroom processing conditions, and to the development of new functional products using mushrooms.