Microbiological quality of some fresh wild edible mushrooms

Abstract

Fresh mushrooms are an ideal medium for microbial growth because they have high moisture content and a neutral pH. Mushrooms are hand-harvested and exposed to ambient conditions until commercialised in many cases. These characteristics limit their post-harvest shelf life to a few days. Unlike other fresh products, the studies on the microbiological profile of fresh mushrooms are limited. In public, Lactarius species are known as "çıntar, melki, kanlıca, termite, menne specifically used in Türkiye. These mushrooms usually grow naturally during the autumn. They are collected by locals and sold in public markets and along the roadside. In this study, the microbiological quality of wild edible Lactarius species sold in local marketplaces in the province of Muğla was determined. The results are in the ranges 6.10-8.83 log CFU/g for total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, <1.00-5.57 log CFU/g for lactic acid bacteria, 3.10-7.76 log CFU/g for total yeast, <1.00-3.93 log CFU/g for total mould, <1.00-4.74 log CFU/g for Staphylococcus aureus, <0.30-5.07 log MPN/g for total coliform and <0.30-5.07 log MPN/g for faecal coliform. The samples' pH and titratable acidity values were 6.82-7.54 and 0.005-0.020%, respectively.