This study aimed to investigate the effect of four cooking methods with different durations on the in vitro antioxidant activities of five edible mushrooms, namely Agaricus bisporus, Flammulina velutipes, Lentinula edodes, Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus eryngii. Among the raw samples, A. bisporus showed the highest total antioxidant activity (reducing power and radical scavenging), total flavonoid, ascorbic acid and water soluble phenolic contents. Short-duration steam cooking (3 min) increased the total flavonoid and ascorbic acid while prolonged pressure cooking (15 min) reduced the water soluble phenolic content in the mushrooms. The retention of antioxidant value in the mushrooms varied with the variety of mushroom after the cooking process. The cooking duration significantly affected the ascorbic acid in the mushrooms regardless of cooking method. To achieve the best antioxidant values, steam cooking was preferred for F. velutipes (1.5 min), P. ostreatus (4.5 min) and L. edodes (4.5 min) while microwave cooking for 1.5 min was a better choice for A. bisporus. Pressure cooked P. eryngii showed the best overall antioxidant value among the cooked samples. Optimised cooking method including pressure cooking could increase the antioxidant values in the edible mushrooms.
Keywords: Antioxidant activity; Ascorbic acid; Cooking method; Flavonoid; Mushroom; Water soluble phenolic content.