Abstract: In order to study the quality change of Flammulina velutipes during postharvest storage and to quickly predict the shelf life, we kept the mushroom under three temperature conditions simulating those occurring during storage and circulation (4, 15 and 25 ℃). The sensory and physicochemical qualities of the samples were evaluated at regular intervals. The first-order kinetic model combined with the Arrhenius equation was used to establish shelf life prediction models based on quality indexes. The prediction accuracy of these models were verified and evaluated. The results showed that low temperature could remarkably slow down the spoilage and extend the shelf life of postharvest F. velutipes. More specifically, low temperature inhibited the mass loss, browning and the increase in malondialdehyde content, slowed down the decline in soluble solid content and maintained high free proline content. The shelf life prediction models based on mass loss rate, disease index, browning degree, and soluble solid content all exhibited high accuracy with determination coefficients R2 higher than 0.90. The relative errors between the predicted and actual values were less than 10%. Particularly, soluble solid content was a more accurate indicator to predict the shelf life. Therefore, the established models can quickly and reliably predict the remaining shelf life of F. velutipes, which will provide a practical guidance to control the storage and circulation conditions in real time so as to extend the shelf life of F. velutipes.

Key words: Flammulina velutipes; kinetic model; shelf life prediction; Arrhenius equation