CHARACTERIZATION OF DIFFERENT SPECIES OF MUSHROOMS

Recently, the consumption of mushrooms has been growing, due to its high nutritional value and the presence of bioactive compounds and nutraceuticals, which promote health benefits. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze different species of mushrooms. Different species of mushrooms were collected: Shiitake (Lentinula edodes), Champignon, Portobello (Agaricus bisporus) and shimeji (Pleurotus ostreatus). The mushrooms were acquired by the company Farma Box, located in the city of Jundiaí-SP. The mushrooms were cleaned, cut and separated, the mushroom caps went through the process of blanching in hot water 92 ºC for 1.5 minutes, cooled in ice water, then added to the home processor (Oster, 220 V) for 50 seconds for future analysis. Physicochemical analyses were carried out, color using a benchtop colorimeter (L*, b*, a* ) and pH, through the digital bench pH meter and the Centesimal Composition following the OAC 2005 methodology. The values of L* showed a significant difference (p<0.05), the mushrooms after harvest go through the browning process, which is a biochemical and physiological process where phenolic substances are oxidized by polyphenol oxidase, forming quinones and consequently the formation of dark substances. We can see that the Portobello and Champignon mushrooms were the ones that darkened the most, both are of the species Agaricus bisporus. The shimeji mushroom showed a greater reduction of a* when compared to the other species studied, this is related to its original coloration, this same species presented the highest luminosity