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Background: The use of edible coatings and essential oils is important due to their biodegradability, shelf life, and quality characteristics of harvested products. Methods: The present study was conducted in the form of a completely randomized design with 6 treatments including control, chitosan (2%), sumac extract (4%), cumin essential oil (5 μl), chitosan + sumac extract, and chitosan + cumin essential oil in 3 replications and qualitative characteristics of Agaricus bisporus mushroom were evaluated on days 0, 7, 14, and 21 of storage. Findings: The highest tissue stiffness and antioxidant capacity was observed on the day 21 in cumin essential oil and control treatments, respectively. Malondialdehyde (MDA) increased with the increase of storage time from day 0 to day 21. The highest activity of polyphenol oxidase was obtained on the day 7 in the treatment of cumin essence. On the days 7, 14, and 21, the treatment with cumin essential oil and sumac extract showed the highest weight loss. The highest L* color index was observed on day 0 in the control treatment and the highest a* color index was observed on day 7 in chitosan and chitosan + sumac extract treatments. Under the treatment of chitosan on days 14 and 21 and chitosan + cumin essence on day 14, the lowest b* color index was observed. The highest browning index was observed on days 7, 14, and 21 in chitosan + sumac extract, chitosan + cumin essence, and chitosan treatments. Conclusion: The research treatments showed different results on the qualitative characteristics and shelf life of Agaricus bisporus mushroom. Cumin essential oil and sumac extract alone and in combination with chitosan during the storage period had an effect on the quality characteristics of Agaricus bisporus mushroom.

Abstract Background Our previous study indicated that Potentilla reptans root has a preconditioning effect by its antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects in an isolated rat heart ischemia/reperfusion (IR) model. In the present study, we investigated the post-conditioning cardio-protective effects of Potentilla reptans and its active substances. Methods The ethyl acetate fraction of P. reptans root (Et) was subjected to an IR model under 30 min of ischemia and 100 min of reperfusion. To investigate the postconditioning effect, Et was perfused for 15 min at the early phase of reperfusion. RISK/SAFE pathway inhibitors, 5HD and L-NAME, were applied individually 10 min before the ischemia, either alone or in combination with Et during the early reperfusion phase. The hemodynamic factors and ventricular arrhythmia were calculated during the reperfusion. Oxidative stress, apoptosis markers, GSK-3β and SGK1 proteins were assessed at the end of experiments. Results Et postconditioning (Etpost) significantly reduced the infarct size, arrhythmia score, ventricular fibrillation incidence, and enhanced the hemodynamic parameters by decreasing the MDA level and increasing expression of Nrf2, SOD and CAT activities. Meanwhile, Etpost increased the BCl-2/BAX ratio and decreased Caspase-3 expression. The cardioprotective effect of Etpost was abrogated by L-NAME, Wortmannin (a PI3K/Akt inhibitor), and AG490 (a JAK/STAT3 inhibitor). Finally, Etpost reduced the expression of GSK-3β and SGK1 proteins pertaining to the IR group. Conclusion P. reptans reveals the post-conditioning effects via the Nrf2 pathway, NO release, and the RISK/SAFE pathway. Also, Etpost decreased apoptotic indexes by inhibiting GSK-3β and SGK1 expressions. Hence, our data suggest that Etpost can be a suitable natural candidate to protect cardiomyocytes during reperfusion injury.