Peat soil is widely used as a covering material for edible fungi due to its excellent performance in practical applications. However, domestic peat resources are limited and unevenly distributed, mainly concentrated in the northeast region. This leads to high transportation costs, significantly increasing production expenses. In Shandong Province, for example, the price of peat soil in Jinan is approximately 470 yuan per ton. When used for growing *Agaricus bisporus*, it increases the cost by about 7 yuan per square meter, but also boosts output by 30% and adds 15 yuan in value per square meter. The input-output ratio reaches 1:2, and experimental results show an increase of over 100%, with some cases achieving a ratio of more than 1:6. This makes it highly economically efficient. The treatment process is straightforward: simply mix the soil with a "simple silly" method, spray while mixing back and forth twice, and then use it without covering with plastic film. For ordinary soil preparation, topsoil from arable land is typically rich in organic matter and has a good aggregate structure, making it suitable as a covering material. However, this layer often contains a high population of microorganisms, some of which may be harmful to edible fungi. Therefore, it's not recommended for large-scale use in actual production. Instead, the subsoil below 20 cm, though less fertile and with a poorer granular structure, contains fewer harmful microorganisms and can still be used after simple treatment. For every 100 square meters of cultivation area, about 5,000 kg of soil is collected, dried, crushed, and sieved to ensure that particles between 0.5–1 cm and 0.3 cm or smaller make up 50% of the total. It is then mixed with an "overlay material treatment agent" diluted at 800 times with octane phosphorus. The mixture is sprayed until each particle is coated, then piled and covered for one week before use. Before application, the pile is spread out and allowed to air out inside the mushroom shed. Alumina preparation involves using rice husks and river silt in a weight ratio of approximately 1:10. For every 100 square meters of cultivation area, 4,000 kg of river mud and 500 kg of rice husks are prepared, along with supplementary materials. The river mud is dried and crushed, while the rice husks are soaked in 4% lime water for around 20 hours. After fermentation with the added materials, both components are thoroughly mixed, and water is added to adjust the moisture content to about 20%. The mixture is sprayed and blended using the same method as described earlier. It is then covered with plastic film, turned every 2–4 days for 3–4 times to allow the smell to dissipate, and finally ready for use.

Natural Food Colorants

what is natural food color?

Natural food coloring refers to pigments extracted or prepared from plants, animals, microorganisms or other natural sources for coloring food. These pigments are naturally produced due to biochemical reactions in living organisms and do not contain synthetic chemical components.
Natural food colors can be divided into the following categories according to their source:
1. Plant pigments: This is the most common source of natural food pigments, including pigments derived from a variety of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and plant roots. For example, red beets can provide red pigments, carrots can provide orange pigments, turmeric can provide yellow pigments, and blueberries and purple potatoes can provide purple and blue pigments.
2. Animal pigments: These pigments are rare and usually come from the tissues or excretions of certain animals. For example, cochineal is a red pigment derived from the cochineal insects that live on certain cacti.
3. Microbial pigments: Some microorganisms, such as monascus, can produce specific pigments, such as monascus red pigments.
4. Mineral pigments: Although less used, certain inorganic minerals can also be used as natural food pigments, such as titanium dioxide (white) and iron oxide (red, yellow and black). However, due to possible toxicity issues with some mineral pigments, their use is often severely restricted or banned.
Natural food colors are generally considered safer and healthier than synthetic colors due to their nature. However, their color stability, heat resistance, light resistance, and interaction with other food ingredients may not be as good as synthetic pigments, so their application in the food industry sometimes presents some challenges. At the same time, the extraction and processing of natural pigments can also affect their cost and sustainability. Nevertheless, as consumer concerns about food safety and health increase, the demand for natural food coloring is growing.

Natural Food Colorants,Natural Food Pigments, natural food color

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