Calcium chloride irrigation influence on yield, calcium content, quality and shelf‐life of the white mushroom Agaricus bisporus

Abstract

Seven CaCl 2 irrigation treatments (0.15, 0.25, 0.35, 0.45, 0.55, 0.75 and 1.00%) were applied to the Agaricus bisporus white strain A15 (Sylvan) in order to evaluate, in comparison with the waterirrigated crop, their effect on production characteristics, ie yield, sporophore number and size mix, average mushroom weight as well as pileus and stipe Ca content. In addition, initial mushroom colour and texture in three successive¯ushes and their variations during post-harvest storage for 8 days at 4°C and for 2 days at 18°C were determined. Statistical analysis of data revealed that crop yields were not affected by the individual treatments, whereas the mushroom number was reduced and the average sporophore weight was enhanced. A strong positive correlation was established between CaCl 2 dosage and Ca content of fresh mushrooms, which increased considerably in the third¯ush by accumulating in both pileus and stipe parts (the former containing less Ca than the latter) and presented a maximum for the 0.75 and 1.00% CaCl 2 treatments. At harvest, colour of second-and third-break mushrooms was signi®cantly improved by all CaCl 2 treatments. This bene®cial effect was more pronounced after 8 days of cold storage and during shelf-life in sporophores treated with 0.35, 0.75 and 1.00% CaCl 2 . No consistent correlation was found between Ca content and texture of fresh and stored mushrooms. However, although softer mushrooms were recorded at harvest in most CaCl 2 -irrigated crops, 0.25, 0.75 and 1.00% concentrations appeared to retard mushroom softening, promoting ®rmness at the 8th day of cold storage and during shelf-life.

The Effect of Calcium Chloride and Calcium Lactate on the Yielding of Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach

“…Contrary to our results, Philippoussis et al [15] stated that the range of calcium chloride concentrations from 0.15 to 1% did not significantly affect the total yield and the yield produced during the third flush. According to those authors, calcium chloride concentrated at 0.55% favoured mushroom productivity in the first flush.…”

Calcium Enrichment in Edible Mushrooms: A Review

“…Other sources of calcium have been evaluated in casings for the production of Agaricus subrufescens [ 93 ]. Calcium chloride can be used in irrigation water to improve the quality of fruit bodies, mainly their texture and dry matter content [ 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 ]. Irrigation with calcium lactate solutions has also been proposed [ 94 ].…”