## 1 Introduction  
The Patagonian Andean forests are home to a wide variety of wild fungi species that hold great potential as edible food, offering both high nutritional value and medicinal properties [1]. Certain species within these forests have been identified by Mapuche communities as having a long history of traditional use, remarkable sensory qualities, and promising economic viability [2]. In particular, the ancestral consumption records of the species _Fistulina antarctica_ (n.v. lengua de vaca) and _Ramaria patagonica_ (n.v. changle) are widespread. Recently, the nutritional composition of these and other wild edible mushrooms (WEM) from Argentina and Chile has been investigated, with a particular focus on their fatty and organic acids, soluble sugars, phenolic compounds, and ergosterol contents, in addition to antioxidant and antimicrobial potential [3; 4; 5]. _Fistulina antarctica_ showed low amounts of fat (0.83 \(\pm\) 0.01 g/100 g dw), sugars (28.68 \(\pm\) 0.58 g/100 g dw), proteins (3.71 \(\pm\) 0.07 g/100 g dw), and phenolic compounds (9.85 \(\pm\) 0.09 \(\mu\)g/100 g dw), compared with _R. patagonica_, which showed low amounts of fat (2.51 \(\pm\) 0.10 g/100 g dw) and sugars (9.41 \(\pm\) 0.35 g/100 g dw) and high amounts of proteins (19.68 \(\pm\) 0.64 g/100 g dw) and phenolic compounds (134.39 \(\pm\) 2.10 \(\mu\)g/100 g dw) [3; 5]. Phenolic compounds are a significant category of bioactive substances that possess antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. These compounds have the potential to enhance natural defense mechanisms in humans [6; 7]. The antioxidant properties of these bioactive molecules are crucial in preventing the damage caused by free radicals; numerous studies have reported that this activity is related to their phenolic content [8; 9]. Between the Patagonian species, _R. patagonica_ presented the highest content of phenolic compounds of 50.82 mg GAE/g extract [3], with relatively high amounts of protocatechuric acid [5] and the most effective results in all antioxidant activity assays in comparison with other WEMs [3; 5]. Instead, _Fistulina antarctica_ showed the lowest antioxidant activity in terms of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances' (TBARSs') inhibition, \(\beta\)-carotene bleaching inhibition assay [3], oxidative hemolysis inhibition (OxHLIA), and TBARS inhibition assay [5]; _Fistulina antarctica_ also had a low phenols contents of 7.82 mg GAE/g [3] and 1.30 mg GAE/g extract [5]. Mushrooms are known for their perishability and relatively short shelf-life because they lack a protective cuticle, have a high respiratory rate, and contain a significant amount of water [10; 11]. These factors make them susceptible to various deteriorative processes, including mechanical damage, microbial contamination, weight loss, and enzymatic browning [10]. Consequently, mushrooms suffer a rapid decline in quality shortly after harvest, so postharvest conditions as well as culinary treatments significantly affect their quality [12; 13; 14]. _Agaricus bisporus_ and _Pleurotus ostreatus_ are mushrooms that typically last for one to three days at room temperature and five to seven days when refrigerated [10]. The maximum shelf-life in conventional refrigerator conditions (at 4 \({}^{\circ}\)C) was in 4 days for _F. antarctica_ and 8 days for _R. patagonica_[15]. This creates a problem for the distribution and marketing of fresh mushrooms. In addition, as edible wild mushrooms from Patagonia have strict fruiting seasonality (April and May for these species), to enable their consumption during the rest of the year, they must be preserved through drying. Dehydration has become an efficient, widely used mushroom preservation process to extend their shelf life [16; 17; 18], as reducing the water content minimizes microbial spoilage and deterioration while preserving texture and flavor [15; 19; 20]. Dehydration constitutes the postharvest method commonly used for extending the shelf life of WEMs in Patagonia [2].