Abstract:This research was designed to investigate the shelf life of Agaricus bisporus fruiting bodies during storage. The effect of different concentrations of ε-Polylysine hydrochloride (0.15 and 0.30 g/L; ε-PL) on the growth of background microorganisms and Pseudomonas spp. on Agaricus bisporus fruiting bodies were established at 4 ℃, 16 ℃ and 25 ℃, respectively. And the shelf life prediction model of Agaricus bisporus fruiting bodies was built. In the meantime, the samples of Agaricus bisporus fruiting bodies were collected during the storage to investigate the score of sensory, L* value, hardness, weight loss rate, and moisture content. Results showed that treatment with ε-PL (0.15 and 0.30 g/L) could interfere with bacterial growth on Agaricus bisporus fruiting bodies. The background microorganisms and Pseudomonas spp. on Agaricus bisporus fruiting bodies were modeled with three different phases: lag phase, log phase, and stationary phase. The ε-PL could inhibit the growth of Pseudomonas spp. on the surface of Agaricus bisporus fruiting bodies at 4 ℃. The ε-PL (0.30 g/L) showed the strongest inhibitory against Pseudomonas spp. on the surface of Agaricus bisporus fruiting bodies compared to the other concentration of ε-PL (0.00 and 0.15 g/L). The study suggested that the combination of ε-PL and low temperature could effectively improve the quality and the shelf life of Agaricus bisporus fruiting bodies during storage.