The Effect of Polylactic Acid Packaging Modified with Clay Nanoparticles on Quality and Shelf life of Mushroom

Abstract

One of the newest technologies for storing agricultural products is the biodegradable packaging<br />method, in which certain materials are utilized on a nano scale. Edible mushroom is a nutritious agricultural<br />product which can be considered a food source as well as having medicinal applications while having a short<br />shelf life after harvesting. In this study, the mushroom was packaged in polylactic acid packages containing<br />nanoparticles of clay and the effect of the packaging on the quality characteristics and shelf life of mushroom<br />were determined. Aiming at determining the most optimal conditions for the packaging of the mushroom, the<br />effects of the weight percent of nano clay (0, 3 and 6 wt%), time of storage (4, 8 and 12 day), and three different<br />temperatures (4, 14, and 24 0C) on the quality characteristics and the shelf life of mushroom have been<br />investigated. Different regression models were adopted to correlate the empirical results of dependent variables,<br />and through statistical analyses the most reliable regression model was selected.