Development of a spray freeze‐drying method for preparation of volatile shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes) powder

In this study, a method to produce a fine volatile powder extracted from shiitake mushrooms using spray freeze‐drying (SFD) was investigated. The analysis of the water‐soluble aromatic compounds was carried out by headspace solid‐phase micro‐extraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Scanning electron microscopy and laser particle size analysis were applied to characterise the physical structure and size distribution of the SFD‐derived particles. Eleven key volatile compounds were identified in the extracts of shiitake mushrooms pre‐ and post‐SFD. Recoveries of aromatic volatiles ranging from 30.9% to 82.9% were observed in the overall flavour profile results from the powder obtained with SFD. Scanning electron microscopy analysis demonstrated that the particles of the aromatic powder were spherical in nature, having highly porous surfaces and mean diameters of 19.3 μm.