The moisture content, distribution and state changes of White gourd were studied during hot air-drying process using Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR). The transverse relaxation time (T 2 ) inversion spectrum of White gourd was measured at different temperatures during drying process, and the characteristics of internal moisture state and change were analyzed using the LF-NMR. The results showed that T 2 was changed and the moisture of liquidity was reduced during drying process. In addition, the moisture with high degree of freedom changed to the moisture with low degree of freedom during drying. The amplitude of total NMR signal and the moisture content of drying base were a linear relationship during drying. The kinetics of the percentage of bound water and free water were based on exponential function and polynomial function respectively with drying time and different drying temperatures.

To better predict quality changes during food heating, a kinetic approach was used to determine and analyze the reaction kinetics of changes in ripening quality factors (color and hardness). The moisture content as a superheated quality factor was superheated to improve the quality of shiitake dishes during the cooking of shiitake mushroom. The results showed that the changes in L*, a*, hardness, and moisture content of the shiitake mushroom followed the first‐order reaction kinetics model, and the changes in h* and △E of the shiitake mushroom followed the zero‐order reaction kinetics model as the temperature increased during cooking. The z values of L*，a*，h*, and △E were 56.22,42.19,45.02 and 47.90°C and the Ea values were 34.20, 34.78, 41.33, and 26.43 kJ/mol, respectively. The z value for hardness was 49.67°C and Ea value was 25.92 kJ/mol. The z value for moisture content was 67.31°C and Ea value was 37.32 kJ/mol, which was greater than the z values of color and hardness. The z values of mature quality factors were less than the z value of overheating quality factor, which was in accordance with the requirement of cooking operation optimization. Our results proved that there was room for optimization of shiitake mushroom in the cooking process.Practical applicationThis study investigated the kinetics of quality changes of shiitake mushroom during cooking. In practical application, it could better predict the quality changes of shiitake mushroom during heating, determine the optimal cooking time by monitoring the changes of ripeness factor and overheating factor during cooking, facilitate food enterprises to design heat supply more scientifically, and provide basic data to promote the industrial production of shiitake pre‐prepared dishes.