University professors of food science said research on a new mushroom processing method will help preserve Pennsylvania's $205 million mushroom business against foreign competition.

Robert Beelman and Gerald D. Kuhn said the new method cuts processing time in half and protects mushrooms from shrinkage and color loss.

The processing of mushrooms makes the mushrooms safe by inactivating all spores (the dormant, survival form of the life cycle of a fungus) that could cause food poisoning or spoilage, Beelman said.

The normal process heats the can, destroying all spores except those that are highly heat resistant. These spores are harmless because they require extremely high temperatures to grow into their potent form.

Unfortunately, the heating shrinks the mushrooms and robs them of color, flavor and vitamins, Beelman said.

Part of the new process, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Adminstration, involves blanching the mushrooms in a weak acid solution and then canning them in a brine and chelating agent. The weak acid blanching damages the spores and the chelating agent ties up trace minerals which help repair the spores. This cuts in half the mushroom cans' heating time, causing less loss of color, flavor and nutritional value, Beelman said.

Kuhn said more research needs to be done to assure the spores are damaged beyond repair.

Imports from the Far East are processed less efficiently but their farmers soak mushrooms in a weak acid before sending them to the processing plants which robs the mushrooms of flavor but gives them a nicer color, said Beelman.

"Consumers tend to buy on color," he said.

The new process does not affect the color of mushrooms and further cuts shrinkage by five percent. Since mushrooms are sold by weight, this will result in large savings for the mushroom industry, said Beelman.

This research will affect the 25 percent of the mushroom industry which involves canned mushrooms rather than the fresh mushroom market, added Beelman.

"This method has the potential to work with other canned products," said Kuhn.