The Efficacy of Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation to Protract the Shelf Life of P. florida

Farm produce if not consume soon could readily manifest changes in its characteristics which may appear unacceptable for human consumption. Various techniques and methods have been developed that would prolong the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, but to date, none has been done specifically for mushroom. The present undertaking attempted to utilize an innovative technology – UV radiation as a method of extending the shelf life of mushroom. About 8 to 10 freshly harvested mushrooms were used for each treatment per replicate. Half of the samples were treated with UV radiation and the other half served as the control. The time of UV exposure was set at 20, 30 and 60 minutes, respectively. After UV treatment, the samples were placed in a Styrofoam, enclosed in a plastic bag and placed inside an ordinary refrigerator. The number of days was counted until sign of wilting was manifested. Likewise, the daily changes in weight were monitored. Significance was evaluated by 2-tailed Student’s t-test between mean. The result showed a significant difference between the samples exposed to UV radiation and the control, except those exposed to UV for 30 minutes. The mushroom exposed for 20 minutes, lasted for an average of 10 days, while the control lasted for about 5.2 days. The samples exposed to UV for 60 minutes, showed a shelf life of 8.2 days, the control lasted for about 5 days. The results of proximate analysis before and after UV exposure showed no significant difference. From the result of the present study, it could be inferred that ultraviolet (UV) radiation is an effective method in prolonging the shelf life of mushroom.