**1. Introduction**

Mushrooms are highly perishable in nature and subjected to change in ways that make them unacceptable for human consumption. It has high water content (85–95%), which is lost rapidly by evaporation and transpiration making mushroom discolored, disfigured and unfit for consumption. The rate of water loss depends on mushroom structures, relative humidity, temperature, air movement and atmospheric pressure during storage. Mushrooms represent one of the most perishable commodities, being so delicate by nature and hence need special postharvest treatments. A number of physiological processes take place in freshly cut mushrooms when it is stored (pileus and veil opening, stipe elongation, browning, etc.) resulting in maturation, senesce, and decrease in commercial and nutritional values [1, 2]. Burton et al. [3] found varying changes in color, size, clearness, firmness, maturity stage, blemish-free, flavor, nutritional value and safety by pre-harvest treatments, postharvest processing and storage conditions. The major limitations in mushroom marketing include wilting and shriveling due to rapid water loss, which render them unfit for marketing and consumption [4]. The shelf life of mushroom can often be extended by pretreatments and/or storage at chilling temperatures (above freezing and below 0°C), chemical preservation, and drying processes. Adsule et al. [5] reported the preservation of *Pleurotus sajor-caju* fruit bodies in steeping solution containing 5% salt, 0.20% citric acid and 0.1% potassium metabisulphite (KMS) up to three months without losing much of its organoleptic quality. *Pleurotus sajor-caju* and *Volvariella volvacea* (24 days) fruit bodies were successfully stored without spoilage at room temperature in chemical solutions consisted of salt, sugars, acids and preservatives [6, 7]. Water blanched white button mushroom can be successfully stored from 2 to 5 weeks to 3 months by preserving in steeping solutions of various concentrations of salt, sugars, acids and preservatives [8, 9]. Gormley and O' Riordain [10] reported the storage of *Pleurotus ostreatus* fruit bodies for 3 months at 30°C. Storage of *Pleurotus flabellatus*, *P. sapidus* and *P. ostreatus* fruit bodies up to 15 days in different thickness of polyethylene films were reported by several workers [11–13]. Spoilage of mushrooms during storage was associated with the presence of microorganisms dominated by bacteria, fungi and enzymes which strongly influenced the physiology and shelf life. Mushrooms need to be properly processed in order to extend their shelf life so that they can be used during off-season and also add value to the product. Value addition of mushroom with several traditional recipes can be achieved by adopting appropriate postharvest technology to process surplus mushrooms into various value-added products (soup powder, pickles, chips, paste and ketchup, pâté, noodles and pasta, biscuits, and nuggets), mushroom-based flavor enhancers or as additives in beverages and beauty products [14, 15]. The value-added products are the urgent need for the mushroom growers not only to reduce the losses, but also to enhance the income by value-addition and boosting mushroom consumption [16]. Biofortification or value addition of mushroom in present days is becoming very common to enhance quality, shelf life, alleviate under or malnutrition and reaching among various sections of the society [15]. Keeping these in view, efforts were made to enhance the shelf life of button mushrooms and its varieties by dipping them in the solutions of ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) at different concentrations. Effect of packaging materials (thickness) on shelf life of button mushrooms and its varieties with respect to the quality parameters under both ambient/refrigerated conditions was studied. Similarly, studies were conducted on methods of drying of oyster mushroom (*Pleurotus florida*) on weight loss and other quality parameters. It was attempted to examine the shelf life and quality parameters of *P. flabellatus* in further dilutions and different combinations of steeping solutions. Efforts on processing and value addition was also attempted to extend the shelf life and prepare different mushroom based value added products.
