Convection drying kinetics and sensory characteristics of dried shredded mushroom from oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)

Abstract This study was conducted to investigate drying modelling, effective moisture diffusivity, and the sensory profiles of dried oyster mushroom. The mushrooms were separated into stipes and caps, then shredded, seasoned and dried at four different temperatures (65, 70, 75 or 80 °C). The results and data analysis demonstrated that the Midilli model was the best fit model. The mean effective moisture diffusivity ranged from 6.5079 × 10 −10 to 9.2805 × 10 −10 m 2 s −1 for stipes and from 1.8392 × 10 −10 to 2.7692 × 10 −10 m 2 s −1 for caps. For sensory profile, samples at lower drying temperatures preserved the characteristics of fresh mushrooms like fatty mouthfeel, umami and earthy aroma, while samples dried at higher temperatures had darker color, crispy texture, spicy, and astringent flavor. These findings provide insights for the production of sustainable mushroom-based dried foods.