Evaluation of postharvest physiological parameters and shelf life of Agaricus bisporus by addition of anise essential oil Pickering emulsion to corn starch/cassia gum composite film

This corn starch (CS)/cassia gum (CG) composite film with the addition of aniseed essential oil (AEO) Pickering emulsion (PE) provides gas and moisture barrier, mechanical protection, as well as bacteriostatic and antioxidant effects. In this study, we investigated the effects of this film on various parameters, such as storage shelf-life and physiological weight loss, color, respiration rate, relative conductivity, hardness, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), enzymatic activity and antimicrobial ability of Agaricus bisporus were explored at 4 °C. The results showed that compared with other treatments, the CS/CG composite film containing 0.7% PE (CF-PE-0.7%) had a significant inhibitory effect on the browning of A. bisporus during aging, and the L* could be maintained at 84.71 on day 12. The weight loss was reduced by nearly 20% in CF-PE-0.7% compared with that of the unpacked treatment group. The hardness could be maintained at 11.19 N, the increase in relative conductivity was reduced, the increase in respiration rate was inhibited, the decrease in TPC and TFC was delayed, the activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) were reduced, the activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide (SOD) dismutase remained unchanged, and the growth of microorganisms was prevented, which was 8.643 log₁₀CFU/g on day 12. The present findings serve as a reference for the application of the film in the postharvest preservation of fruits and vegetables.