Mechanism of polyethylene glycol on reducing mechanical damage in white mushrooms during simulated logistics vibrations and storage

White mushrooms are the most widely cultivated edible mushrooms globally, but quality degradation during logistics limits their international and domestic trade potential. This study investigated the efficacy of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in mitigating mechanical damage caused by logistic vibrations during the storage of white mushrooms. The results showed that 0.3 % PEG effectively maintained the quality attributes, including elasticity, total phenolics, flavonoids, lignin, and chitin, thereby enhancing the resistance of white mushrooms to vibrational stress. PEG of 0.3 % concentration increased the antioxidant system, exhibited moderate contents of superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide and higher levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase activities. Furthermore, the enhanced antioxidant system ensured the phenylpropanoid metabolism pathway by increasing the activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), 4-coumarate: CoA ligase (4CL) and cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H). This pathway is associated with plant resistance, promotes wound healing and increase cellular resistance. This process accelerated the lignification of damaged cells and enhanced the cell wall hardness and compressive strength, thereby mitigating mechanical damage caused by vibration. Meanwhile, the high humidity environment during storage favored the recovery of osmotic stress in white mushrooms, which enhanced their resistance to vibrational stress. Consequently, the application of 0.3 % PEG effectively mitigated mechanical damage in white mushrooms during logistics and transport, providing a novel approach to their storage and handling.