Effect of Different Essential Oils on Enzymatic Activity of Oyster Mushroom ( Pleurotus florida )

An experiment was carried out to study the effect of different essential oils on enzymatic activity of stored oyster mushroom (Pleurotus florida). The harvested fruiting body was treated with four essential oils, i.e. lemongrass oil, citronella oil, mint oil and clove oil at two different concentrations – 5 and 10 μl – to test the total phenol content (TPC) and activity of three important enzymes, viz. phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) that are involved in post-harvest quality preservation of mushrooms. TPC (0.286 mg/g), PAL content (0.038 μM/g), PPO content (0.042 U/mg) and POD content (0.38 U/mg) were found significant in mint oiltreated mushroom at 10 μl concentration. TPC and PAL content were higher in essential oil-treated mushrooms compared to the control samples, whereas PPO and POD contents were lower in the treated samples, signifying that essential oils treatment had a positive impact on the quality of harvested mushrooms. This preservative technique will help in increasing the shelf-life of harvested fruiting bodies.