Private AreaNews
› Postharvest handling and processing of Shiitake mushrooms
2010-06-21
A training course on postharvest management and processing of shiitake mushrooms was given in Siberia community as part of the project “Mushroom Promotion and Marketing” conducted by the National Center for Food Science and Technology (CITA), University of Costa Rica, with the support of the National Mushroom Center (NMC) of Bhutan.
The training was conducted on the days 8, 11 and 15 of June of 2010, imparted by the CITA investigators Jessie Usaga and Eduardo Thompson with a total duration of 12 hours. It was attended by 30 participants from the communities of Macho Mora, Piedra Alta, Villa Mills and Siberia, as well as the presence of Dawa Penjor and Dechen Tshomo from NMC.
The course was given under the theoretical-practical modality. The theoretical part included issues of medicinal and nutritional properties of shiitake, post harvest handling and packaging of fresh mushrooms, importance of the sanitary operations in food processing, microbiology of fresh and acidified canned products and principles of food thermal processing. In the practical part of the course fresh mushrooms were packaged in biodegradable trays, and canned marinated and dried shiitake products were elaborated.
During the visit of two weeks of the officials of the NMC, they support and trained producers of Siberia and Piedra Alta in log inoculation and mushroom cultivation. Also, a meeting was held with community’s representatives to show them the alternatives of commercial name and labels proposed for the mushrooms products. The producers did their observations and recommendations on the proposals and chose the label and the name of their preference.
