Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom Products as a Potential Source of Vitamin D

The incidence of vitamin D deficiency has increased in recent years, mainly in Europe. The consumption of processed mushrooms may play an important role in preventing diseases associated with vitamin D deficiency. We determined the effects of 2 kinds of freezing (blast, cryogenic), canning (mild and strong brine), and drying (air-drying, freeze-drying) on the retention of vitamin D-2 and ergosterol in Agaricus bisporus. Fresh and processed A. bisporus mushrooms can be a good dietary source of vitamin D-2. After 12 months of storage, canned mushrooms retained the largest amount of vitamin D-2 and ergosterol, whereas the smallest amount was retained in dried mushrooms. Cryogenic freezing resulted in higher levels of vitamin D-2, whereas ergosterol levels were higher using air-blast freezing. The drying method had a significant effect only on ergosterol levels, which were higher in the case of freeze-drying. Room temperature gave the best results for storing dried mushrooms. In canned mushrooms, the type of brine had an effect only on levels of vitamin D-2; retention was higher using the strong brine. Retention of vitamin D-2 was higher at cool temperatures, whereas room temperature resulted in higher retention of ergosterol in the canned products.