Improving the shelf life and quality of edible white mushrooms with modified atmosphere packaging technique: experimental evaluation and mathematical simulation of moisture reduction

• A Multiphysics model was developed to simulate moisture loss in mushrooms. • Anti-fog film was modeled using a thin moisture barrier boundary condition. • Moisture transport was coupled with heat and airflow in COMSOL Multiphysics. • Simulated moisture loss closely matched experimental measurements. • The simulation considered porous media properties and actual packaging conditions. This study investigates moisture dynamics in white button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) during storage under modified and non-modified atmosphere packaging at two temperatures (4 °C and 25 °C) using combined experimental measurements and numerical modeling. Experimental results showed an average moisture reduction of approximately 11% over a 10-day storage period, with significantly higher losses observed under ambient temperature and non-modified atmosphere conditions. A Multiphysics model developed in COMSOL, coupling laminar airflow, heat transfer in moist air, and moisture transport in porous media, was validated using experimental moisture data and predicted a comparable moisture reduction of about 16%, capturing the observed exponential decay trend. The simulation further demonstrated that modified atmosphere packaging reduced micro-scale pressure variations within the package headspace, thereby enhancing moisture retention by limiting convective and diffusive mass transfer through the anti-fog packaging film. Overall, the integrated experimental-numerical framework provides a reliable predictive tool for analyzing heat and mass transfer in packaged fresh produce and offers practical insights for optimizing mushroom storage conditions and packaging design.