Aloe vera gel treatment delays postharvest browning of white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus)

Postharvest browning is the limiting factor for the storage of white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus). Aloe vera has been shown to have a wide range of physiological effects in horticultural produce. To investigate the role of Aloe vera coatings on mushroom quality and browning during storage, button mushrooms were treated with Aloe vera gel (0, 25, 50 or 75%) and stored at 4 degrees C for 15 days. The results showed that treating the mushrooms with Aloe vera gel before storage, lowered weight loss and the levels of surface browning and also increased superoxide dismutase activity, total phenolic content and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity. Moreover mushrooms treated with Aloe vera gel treatments also maintained lower thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydroxyl radical (-OH) and decreased polyphenol oxidase activity compared with non-treated mushrooms. These results showed that pre-storage treatment with Aloe vera gel decreased white button mushrooms browning during cold storage and that the optimum treatment was 50% Aloe vera gel for maintaining the quality of button mushroom during storage.