Abstract
Agaricus bisporus is an edible fungus with a limited shelf life due to high moisture loss, browning, respiration, self-dissolve, lack of physical protection, rotting, and microbial attack. Mushrooms have been coated with nisin, nano-silica, and chitosan films in order to extend the shelf life, preserve quality and oxidation activities. The results showed that treating the mushrooms with chitosan and nano-silica (CH-AN-SILICA) increased superoxide dismutase activity (SOD-6.53 U kg(-1)), total phenolic content (TPC-0.39 g kg(-1)), and malondialdehyde content (MDA-1.63 mu mol kg(-1)). CH-AN-SILICA treatment exhibited the highest scavenging against 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2 ' -azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radicals. While, CH-AN-SILICA with the addition of nisin as an antimicrobial agent preserved almost the reactive oxygen species such as hydroxyl radicals (OH-0.33 mu mol g(-1)), superoxide anion (O-2(center dot-)-0.271 mmol s(-1) kg(-1)), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2-21.54 mu mol g(-1)). Besides, both CH-AN-SILICA and CH-AN-SILICA/N enhanced the catalase (CAT) activity and reduced the respiration rate. The results indicated that the combination of nisin, nano-silica, and chitosan coating films was effective in providing a longer storage life with acceptable quality in mushrooms.