Microbiological Safety and Sensory Quality of Cultivated Mushrooms (<i>Pleurotus eryngii</i>, <i>Pleurotus ostreatus</i> and <i>Lentinula edodes</i>) at Retail Level and Post-Retail Storage

Abstract

In this study, the microbiological and sensory quality of cultivated mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus and eryngii and Lentinula edodes) available at the Austrian retail level were determined. Aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMC), Enterobacteriaceae (EB), Pseudomonadaceae (PS), lactic acid bacteria (LAB), yeast, moulds and presumptive Bacillus cereus were enumerated at the day of purchase and after storage at 4 °C for 7 or 12 days. Additionally, the presence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes was investigated. Isolates of presumptive spoilage bacteria were confirmed by partial 16S rRNA sequencing. At the day of purchase, 71.2% of the samples were of high microbiological quality and grouped into the low contamination category (AMC Pseudomonas fluorescens species complex (58.4%) and the potential mushroom pathogen Ewingella americana (28.3%). All mushroom samples tested negative for Salmonella spp., L. monocytogenes and Bacillus cereus. The microbiological and sensory quality of the analysed mushrooms at the day of purchase and after storage was considered to be good overall. Longer transport distances were found to have a significant influence on the microbiological and sensory quality.

Keywords

• fresh mushrooms
• microbiology contamination
• sensory quality
• potential foodborne pathogens
• storage