A novel physical hurdle technology by combining plasma-activated water and ultrasound for long-term stored shiitake mushrooms

The shiitake mushrooms are perishable due to microbial infection and water loss during storage. This study investigated the effect of plasma-activated water (PAW) combined with ultrasound (US) treatment to microbes and the postharvest quality of shiitake mushrooms. For combined treatments, fresh shiitake mushrooms were soaked in PAW for 10 min while being simultaneously sonicated at 110, 220, or 330 W for 10 min (PAW-US 110 , PAW-US 220 , and PAW-US 330 , respectively). The results unveiled that the PAW combined with US (PAW-US) treatment significantly reduced nearly 0.85–1.09 log natural microorganisms at 14 d of storage. The results showed that PAW-US treatment contributed to suppressing the respiration rate, inhibiting softening and browning, enhancing antioxidant capacity, and maintaining membrane integrity. Among all the groups, PAW-US 220 treatment yielded the most pronounced effects, highlighting the potential of this hurdle technology for postharvest preservation of shiitake mushrooms.