Solar drying of Mushroom Introduction Drying is the process of removal of water from any product. The preservation of foods by drying is the time-honored and most common method used by humans and the food processing industry. The principle behind the preservation of any food product by drying is the reduction of water activity, which in turns acts a strong hurdle for the spoilage factors like enzymes and microbes. ProcedureFlow Chart of Oyster mushroom drying after hurdle treatments (pH, Salt)Start

oom Preservation gy(pH, Salt)

hroom

Fresh Oyster Mushroom

mming Dividing equally into three parts

paration Hurdle solution preparation Dipping in that solution

dle solution

ng

Control

ature for 3

Drain and kept on tray Solar Drying Packing Rehydration Rehydration ratio calculation End

sis and smell)

Result and discussion Weight of mushroom taken = 20 kg Dried weight of bamboo shoots = 3.0 kg Yield of dry bamboo shoots = 15 % Moisture content in dry bamboo shoots = 3.5 % Thus, the mushrooms were dried successfully. The yield was good. Solar dried mushrooms were slightly dark in color. Drying can preserve many fruits and vegetables. Hurdles increase the shelf-life as well as its sensory properties. Mushroom contains considerable amount of protein, calcium, phosphorous, iron and some B vitamins. So drying of mushroom in flush season can help to fulfill the mineral and vitamin content in the lean season, thus improving the food security. Appendix: pictures during the work