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

• Main Authors: Simone Schill, Beatrix Stessl, Nadia Meier, Alexander Tichy, Martin Wagner, Martina Ludewig
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Foods
• Subjects: fresh mushrooms; microbiology contamination; sensory quality; potential foodborne pathogens; storage
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/4/816

In this study, the microbiological and sensory quality of cultivated mushrooms (<i>Pleurotus ostreatus</i> and <i>eryngii</i> and <i>Lentinula edodes</i>) available at the Austrian retail level were determined. Aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMC), <i>Enterobacteriaceae </i>(EB), <i>Pseudomonadaceae </i>(PS), lactic acid bacteria (LAB), yeast, moulds and presumptive <i>Bacillus cereus</i> were enumerated at the day of purchase and after storage at 4 °C for 7 or 12 days. Additionally, the presence of <i>Salmonella</i> spp. and <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> 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 < 5.0 log cfu/g), while the sensory quality of 67.1% was categorized as “very good or good”. After storage, the number of samples with high microbial quality was 46.6%, and only 37.0% of the samples scored as “very good or good”. The most abundant species across all mushroom samples were the <i>Pseudomonas fluorescens</i> species complex (58.4%) and the potential mushroom pathogen <i>Ewingella americana</i> (28.3%). All mushroom samples tested negative for <i>Salmonella</i> spp., <i>L. monocytogenes</i> and <i>Bacillus cereus</i>. 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.