Waste to Worth: Active antimicrobial and health-beneficial food coating from byproducts of mushroom industry
Authors: Poverenov Elena , McHugh Tara , Rodov Victor 
Published: January 2022

Background. In this proposal we suggest developing a common solution for three seemingly unrelated acute problems: (1) improving sustainability of fast-growing mushroom industry producing worldwide millions of tons of underutilized leftovers; (2) alleviating the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency adversely affecting the public health in both countries and in other regions; (3) reducing spoilage of perishable fruit and vegetable products leading to food wastage. Based on our previous experience we propose utilizing appropriately processed mushroom byproducts as a source of two valuable bioactive materials: antimicrobial and wholesome polysaccharide chitosan and health-strengthening nutrient ergocalciferol⁽ᵛⁱᵗᵃᵐⁱⁿ ᴰ2⁾. ᴬᵈᵈⁱᵗⁱᵒⁿᵃˡ ᵇᵉⁿᵉᶠⁱᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉˢᵉ ᵐᵃᵗᵉʳⁱᵃˡˢ ⁱˢ ᵗʰᵉⁱʳ ᵒʳⁱᵍⁱⁿ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ⁿᵒⁿ⁻ᵃⁿⁱᵐᵃˡ ᶠᵒᵒᵈ⁻ᵍʳᵃᵈᵉ source. We proposed using chitosan and vitamin D as ingredients in active edible coatings on two model foods: highly perishable fresh-cut melon and less perishable health bars. Objectives and work program. The general aim of the project is improving storability, safety and health value of foods by developing and applying a novel active edible coating based on utilization of mushroom industry leftovers. The work plan includes the following tasks: (a) optimizing the UV-B treatment of mushroom leftover stalks to enrich them with vitamin D without compromising chitosan quality - Done; (b) developing effective extraction procedures to yield chitosan and vitamin D from the stalks - Done; (c) utilizing LbL approach to prepare fungal chitosan-based edible coatings with optimal properties - Done; (d) enrichment of the coating matrix with fungal vitamin D utilizing molecular encapsulation and nano-encapsulation approaches - Done, it was found that no encapsulation methods are needed to enrich chitosan matrix with vitamin D; (e) testing the performance of the coating for controlling spoilage of fresh cut melons - Done; (f) testing the performance of the coating for nutritional enhancement and quality preservation of heath bars - Done. Achievements. In this study numerous results were achieved. Mushroom waste, leftover stalks, was treated ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵁⱽ⁻ᴮ ˡⁱᵍʰᵗ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʳᵉᵃᵗᵐᵉⁿᵗ ⁱⁿᵈᵘᶜᵉˢ ᵃ ᵛᵉʳʸ ʰⁱᵍʰ ᵃᶜᶜᵘᵐᵘˡᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ ᵒᶠ ᵛⁱᵗᵃᵐⁱⁿ ᴰ2, ᶠᵃʳ ᵉˣᶜᵉᵉᵈⁱⁿᵍ any other dietary vitamin D source. The straightforward vitamin D extraction procedure and ᵃ ˢⁱᵐᵖˡⁱᶠⁱᵉᵈ ᵃⁿᵃˡʸᵗⁱᶜᵃˡ ᵖʳᵒᵗᵒᶜᵒˡ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ⁻ᵉᶠᶠⁱᶜⁱᵉⁿᵗ ᵈᵉᵗᵉʳᵐⁱⁿᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵛⁱᵗᵃᵐⁱⁿ ᴰ2 ᶜᵒⁿᵗᵉⁿᵗ suitable for routine product quality control were developed. Concerning the fungal chitosan extraction, new freeze-thawing protocol was developed, tested on three different mushroom sources and compared to the classic protocol. The new protocol resulted in up to 2-fold increase in the obtained chitosan yield, up to 3-fold increase in its deacetylation degree, high whitening index and good antimicrobial activity. The fungal chitosan films enriched with Vitamin D were prepared and compared to the films based on animal origin chitosan demonstrating similar density, porosity and water vapor permeability. Layer-by-layer chitosan-alginate electrostatic deposition was used to coat fruit bars. The coatings helped to preserve the quality and increase the shelf-life of fruit bars, delaying degradation of ascorbic acid and antioxidant capacity loss as well as reducing bar softening. Microbiological analyses also showed a delay in yeast and fungal growth when compared with single layer coatings of fungal or animal chitosan or alginate. Edible coatings were also applied on fresh-cut melons and provided significant improvement of physiological quality (firmness, weight ˡᵒˢˢ⁾, ᵐⁱᶜʳᵒᵇⁱᵃˡ ˢᵃᶠᵉᵗʸ ⁽ᵇᵃᶜᵗᵉʳⁱᵃ, ᵐᵒˡᵈ, ʸᵉᵃˢᵗ⁾, ⁿᵒʳᵐᵃˡ ʳᵉˢᵖⁱʳᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ ᵖʳᵒᶜᵉˢˢ ⁽Cᴼ2, ᴼ²⁾ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵈⁱᵈ not cause off-flavor (EtOH). It was also found that the performance of edible coating from fungal stalk leftovers does not concede to the chitosan coatings sourced from animal or good quality mushrooms. Implications. The proposal helped attaining triple benefit: valorization of mushroom industry byproducts; improving public health by fortification of food products with vitamin D from natural non-animal source; and reducing food wastage by using shelf- life-extending antimicrobial edible coatings. New observations with scientific impact were found. The program resulted in 5 research papers. Several effective and straightforward procedures that can be adopted by mushroom growers and food industries were developed. BARD Report - Project 4784