Optimisation of ambient temperature vacuum distillation technique for the characterisation of volatile compounds in mushrooms

Experimental equipment has been developed and optimised for laboratory-scale vacuum distillation at ambient temperature of volatile compounds (VC) from mushrooms using button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) as a model mushroom. The factors which influenced equipment operation and enabled vacuum extraction of VC from mushrooms at ambient temperature included the total operating time, the pressure, and the total amount of the distillate. The results suggest that the amounts extracted are positively correlated with the extraction time: the longer the extraction time, the higher the amount extracted with four hours being sufficient to extract a significant amount of VC. The vacuum distillation can be applied irrespective of the sample size and the condensates can be used in sensory tests as they are free from organic solvent.