Effects of Potassium Iodide and Potassium Carbonate Treatments on the Postharvest Quality of White Button Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus)

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

2 Associate Professor of plant physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

10.22091/ijpb.2026.16561.1011

Abstract

White button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) is highly perishable, and rapid cap browning, softening, and moisture loss severely limit its postharvest life. This study investigated the effects of potassium iodide (KI) and potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) coatings, applied by two methods — immersion and spray — on the postharvest quality of button mushrooms during 15 days of cold storage. Cap browning, firmness, and physiological weight loss were evaluated at 5-day intervals. Both salts significantly delayed cap browning compared with the control under both application methods; by day 15, browning reached approximately 69–75% in control mushrooms, whereas KI and K₂CO₃ treatments limited it to about 51–56%, with the strongest inhibition observed in spray-treated samples. Firmness declined in all groups during storage, but KI-treated mushrooms retained the highest firmness under both methods. The two application methods differed markedly in weight loss: in immersion, treated mushrooms lost slightly more weight than the control, whereas in spray application, K₂CO₃ substantially reduced weight loss. Overall, spray application of potassium salts provided the best combination of quality preservation, suggesting that potassium salt sprays are a simple, low-cost approach for extending the shelf life of fresh button mushrooms.

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