Three Natural Preservatives for Preservation of Pleurotus sajor-caju

Objective:The preservation effects of essential oil,chitosan and ascorbic acid three natural preservation with different concentration on Pleurotus sajor-caju storage were investigated. Methods:Pleurotus sajor-caju was pretreated with cinnamon essential oil,chitosan and ascorbic acid respectively. The optimal preservatives concentration was determined based on changes in sensory score. The changes of sensory score,respiration intensity,degree of browning and cankered index during storage at 5 ℃ were analyzed. The optimal complex preservatives were determined based on orthogonal test using three different concertation preservatives as factor,sensory evaluation and weight loss as index. Results:The single preservative test results showed that the most suitable concentration for preservation of Pleurotus sajor-caju were cinnamon essential oil 1.5 g/L,chitosan 15 g/L and ascorbic acid 1.0 g/L. The optimal formulation of complex preservation was as follows:Cinnamon essential oil 1.0 g/L,chitosan 15 g/L and ascorbic acid 1.0 g/L. The sensory score and weight loss of Pleurotus sajor-caju were(78±3)score and 6.98%±0.43% after pretreatment of complex preservative and storage 9 days. Conclusions:This complex preservative could play a better significant effect during storage Pleurotus sajor-caju with good sensory quality and color.