Abstract:

The effect of different drying methods on the volatile flavor components of Agaricus blazei was studied. The
volatile flavor components of fresh A. blazei and the ones dried by three drying methods, hot air drying, microwave drying
and vacuum freeze drying, were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with solid-phase microextraction
(SPME). The results showed that a total of 20, 50, 43 and 22 volatile flavor components were detected in fresh,
hot air dried, microwave dried and vacuum freeze dried samples, respectively. Alcohol, aldehyde, ketone, phenol, and ether were
generated from hot air drying, which contributed to the improvement of flavor and aroma in A. blazei. Microwave drying produced
more aldehyde, which was responsible for the special cinnamon aroma and bitter apricot kernel-like flavor in the dried A. blazei.
The volatile flavor components of A. blazei dried by vacuum freeze drying were close to those of the fresh sample on the whole,
suggesting that vacuum freeze drying method can better protect the volatile flavor components of A. blazei.

Key words: Agaricus blazei, drying methods, flavor components, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)