RESPIRATION RATE OF OYSTER MUSHROOMS - EFFECT OF TIME, TEMPERATURE AND GAS CONCENTRATION AND ITS KINETIC MODELLING.

Experiments were conducted for the measurement of respiration rate of oyster mushrooms at seven different storage temperatures (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 ad 30 ºC) using the closed system respirometer method. The effect of time, temperature and gas concentration on the respiration rate of oyster mushroom was studied and the models involving these parameters were developed. The experimental data were fitted to two different mathematical models; Peleg model, and an uncompetitive inhibition based enzyme kinetics model, for the prediction of respiration rate within the given experimental range. The suitability of models to predict the respiration rate was examined with the help of relative deviation modulus by calculating the difference between the actual and the predicted respiration rates at 3 °C. The mean relative deviation moduli of predicted versus experimental respiration rates were found to be 10.3% and 11.2% for O2 and CO2 respiration expressions of Peleg model and 9.3% and 8.5% for O2 and CO2 for uncompetitive inhibition based enzyme kinetics model, respectively. The uncompetitive inhibition based enzyme kinetics model showed better agreement with the actual respiration rate than the Peleg model.