Development of flavor during drying and applications of edible mushrooms: A review

Edible mushrooms are rich in nutrition and have strong aroma as well as delicious umami taste. The flavor is not only the main indicator for evaluating the quality of edible mushrooms, but also an important factor influencing consumer preference. Thermal drying prolongs the shelf life of edible mushrooms, but it also causes modification of the flavor-containing components so that dried mushrooms show different flavor characteristics from those of fresh ones. As expected, different drying methods as operating conditions have important impact on product flavor. This paper discussed the formation pathways of the numerous flavor-containing compounds in foods; these include Maillard reaction, lipid oxidation and degradation, protein hydrolysis and Strecker degradation, as well as the main enzyme activity in aroma synthesis pathway. A comparison is presented of the effects of different drying conditions on flavor substances. The application prospects and possible development of more effective drying technology to ensure better retention of flavor in dried mushrooms so as to provide reference for the further research in production of high quality dried edible mushrooms.