Nutritional and Food Safety Aspects Related to the Consumption of Edible Mushrooms from Dambovita County in Correlation with their Levels of Some Essential and Non-essential Metals

Abstract

Ten edible mushroom species collected from four sites of Dambovita County, Romania, were analyzed through ICP-MS technique in order to evaluate their content in Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd, both in cap and stipe. Wild growing species (Russula vesca, Russula alutacea, Macrolepiota procera, Cantharellus cibarius, Boletus edulis, Agaricus campestris and Pleurotus ostreatus) and cultivated species (Pleurotus ostreatus, Agaricus bisporus white and Agaricus bisporus brown) were taken into account. The data related to the elemental composition of the fruiting bodies of mushrooms are important to be known having in view the nutritional and food safety related aspects. Higher concentrations of copper, iron and zinc have been found in Pleurotus ostreatus (cap), Macrolepiota procera (stipe) and Pleurotus ostreatus cultivated (cap) respectively, as follows: 43.90�0.96 mg/g d.w., 715.15�4.52 mg/g d.w. and 379.33�2.05 mg/g d.w. Although significant Health Risk Index were determined for lead in Agaricus campestris (about 0.1 both in cap and stipe) and for cadmium in Pleurotus ostreatus (0.58 in cap), these values are under the regulated PTWI limits for adult person.