Abstract
We examined whether mushrooms in a half-dried state are efficiently ingested. Shiitake, Shimeji, and Maitake (Hen of the Woods) mushroom samples were initially half-dried under various conditions (sun drying; machine drying) and then blanched in boiling water. Comparison of dried and non-dried mushrooms showed that the weight and apparent surface area of dried samples after blanching were significantly decreased compared with non-dried samples. The amount of free amino acids increased in the Maitake samples. Furthermore, in machine-dried Maitake samples, bitter-tasting free amino acids increased, and so did the amount of vitamin D2 in sun-dried Maitake samples. The half-dried Shiitake and Maitake samples showed relatively high levels of antioxidant activity. We concluded that for half-dried mushroom samples blanched in boiling water, sun-drying treatment may be preferable.
