Mitigating Mushroom Risks: Evaluating Cooking Practices for Salmonella Reduction in Dried Mushrooms

This study determines the inactivation of Salmonella enterica Stanley on dried mushrooms when prepared by one of three distinct consumer preparation techniques. Sliced and powdered wood ear mushrooms were inoculated with Salmonella Stanley and equilibrated for 2 days at 50% relative humidity. Samples were treated with different water temperatures and time parameters: 80°C water allowed too cool naturally or 100°C water and held for 10 min. Samples were removed at predetermined time intervals to determine log reductions. Sliced mushrooms soaked in room temperature water and subsequently treated with 100°C water had significantly higher log reductions at each time point (P < 0.05), yielding a 5-log reduction of Salmonella after 2 min. Sliced mushrooms that underwent treatment with 80°C water demonstrated a 5-log reduction of Salmonella after 10 min. A maximum of 4-log reduction of Salmonella was observed for powdered mushrooms treated with 80°C water. This study provides preparation recommendations to reduce Salmonella spp. populations in dried mushrooms.