MUSHROOMS 3 



First Grade or "Specials" — good quality mushrooms of the larger size. They 

 must be tight (the veil not broken) and free from blemishes. 



Second Grade or "Fancies" — medium sized mushrooms. Must be tight and 

 free from blemishes. 



Third Grade or "Bullous" — smaller mushrooms that are tight and free from 

 blemishes. 



Fourth Grade or "Spots and Opens" — ofT-quality or second-rate mushrooms 

 including open, spotted, or blemished mushrooms of all sizes. 



Mushrooms should be brought to the consumer as fresh as possible, preferably 

 the same day or the day after they are picked. Deterioration in fresh mushrooms 

 can be retarded by holding them under dry storage conditions between 36° 

 and 40°F. 



During the past 15 years the American mushroom industry has expanded 

 rapidly until it is now one of the important food industries. In 1940 alone, over 

 40 million pounds of fresh mushrooms were produced in the United States. 

 Pennsylvania produced approximately 55 percent of the total crop, while the 

 remainder was grown in areas near Bo.ston, Chicago, Cleveland, Kansas City, 

 San Francisco, and along the Hudson River. The mushroom industry is also an 

 important food industry in Canada. In addition to the fresh market, large 

 quantities of mushrooms are canned as such or in soups. The canned pack of 

 mushrooms in 1943 amounted to 4C0,000 cases. 



Nutritive Value of Mushrooms 



Until recently mushrooms were eaten almost entirely for their condimental 

 value. The incorporation of mushrooms into gravies, sauces, soups, and other 

 dishes added zest and flavor. However, the results of recent investigations would 

 tend to place mushrooms in the average American diet not only on the basis of 

 their already recognized flavor-enhancing properties but also because of certain 

 definite food values the mushroom was found to possess. 



A survey of the literature on the composition and nutritive properties of mash- 

 rooms presents a rather confused picture. This is due in part to the fact that 

 many different types of mushrooms are reported under a common heading with 

 little or no regard for variety. The nutritive properties and composition of 

 different varieties of mushrooms do vary, often to a marked extent. The investi- 

 gations carried out at this laboratory were concerned entirely with the commer- 

 cially cultivated mushroom, Agaricus campeslris, and not with any of the "wild" 

 or foreign mushrooms. 



Proximate Composition 



The composition of fresh mushrooms is similar to that of many fresh vegetables 

 and fruits as the following proximate analysis of Agaricus campestris, given by 

 Anderson and Fellers (1), indicates: 



Water -- 89.50 percent 



Protein (N x 6.25) - 3.94 



Fat (ether extract) ^ 0.19 



Extract matter - 4.01 



Fiber ...__.. - 1.09 



Ash .- - 1.26 



