Exploring Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus Ostreatus) as Meat Alternative Ingredients in Longganisa Production

This study was carried out to determine the acceptability of longganisa (garlic, sweet and spicy) made of Oyster Mushroom as Alternative to Meat. This study was conducted to 40 respondents who were selected through the use of purposive sampling: 10 children, 10 adult, 10 teenager, 10 food experts. This study was carried out at the Isabela State University Ilagan Campus, during the school year of 2023-2024.This study employed experimental and descriptive research designs to determine the level of acceptability of (garlic, sweet and spicy) longganisa made of oyster mushroom as alternative to meat. The researchers conducted an experiment on how to utilize the frozen food products made from oyster mushroom and tested the level of acceptability through actual sampling of the product. The statistical tools utilized in this study were Mean, Standard Deviation (SD) and One Way Between Group Analysis of Variance. A 5point Likert scale was used in the determination of the evaluators’ rating. The acceptability of garlic-flavored mushroom longganisa made from oyster mushrooms was high across all evaluated categories: appearance, aroma, taste, and texture, demonstrated by overall mean scores ranging from 4.55 to 4.73. All within the "Very Satisfied" range The sweet-flavored mushroom longganisa received high satisfaction ratings across all evaluated categories: appearance, aroma, taste, and texture, with overall means ranging from 4.64 to 4.68. All classified as "Very Satisfied," indicating a generally positive reception of the product. The spicy-flavored mushroom longganisa is rated as "Very Satisfied" across all evaluated attributes: appearance, aroma, taste, and texture, with overall means ranging from 4.50 to 4.64, indicating a high level of consumer satisfaction with the product.