ENHANCEMENT OF VITAMIN D2 CONTENT IN PLEUROTUS MUSHROOMS USING PULSED LIGHT

Pulsed light is a rapid technology to convert ergosterol to vitamin D-2 in mushrooms. Five Pleurotus mushrooms were used to study vitamin D-2 generation using pulsed light, and the pulsed distances and pulses were also evaluated. In the different genera of Pleurotus mushrooms, P. ferulae produced the highest vitamin D-2 content. The short pulsed distance (2.5 cm) and long pulsed time treatment (120 pulses) cause the reduction in the vitamin D-2 content and discoloration in P. ferulae powder. Moreover, P. ferulae treated for 60 pulses at 5 cm was the optimal condition for vitamin D-2 conversion (65.4 mu g/g DW). The losses of vitamin D-2 contents after 60 days of storage at 4 and 25C were 28.9 and 37.7%, respectively. Overall, irradiated P. ferulae would be a good source of vitamin D-2 and pulsed light can be used to prepare mushrooms with high vitamin D-2 content as a nutrient supplement.