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Research Progress on Elements of Wild Edible Mushrooms

Summary

This research examines how wild mushrooms accumulate both beneficial and potentially harmful elements from their environment. While wild mushrooms are nutritious food sources rich in essential minerals, they can also concentrate dangerous heavy metals, especially when growing in polluted areas. The study helps identify which mushroom species and growing locations may pose health risks. Impacts on everyday life: – Helps consumers make safer choices when foraging or purchasing wild mushrooms – Provides guidance on which areas to avoid when collecting wild mushrooms (near industrial sites, highways, etc.) – Offers insights into cooking methods that can reduce harmful metal content in mushrooms – Highlights the importance of knowing mushroom species and their tendency to accumulate specific elements – Demonstrates how mushrooms can serve as environmental pollution indicators

Background

Wild edible mushrooms are distributed globally and are valued as delicious seasonal foods rich in polysaccharides, amino acids, vitamins, and other components. They contain many essential trace elements but are also highly enriched in heavy metals compared to green plants and cultivated mushrooms. This raises potential health risks for consumers due to excessive heavy metal content, which is a key concern for both consumers and regulatory agencies.

Objective

This review aims to analyze the contents of four essential trace elements (iron, manganese, zinc, and copper) and four harmful heavy metals (cadmium, lead, mercury, and arsenic) in nearly 400 species of wild edible mushrooms from 10 countries. The goal is to identify factors affecting elemental content in edible mushrooms and provide reference data for risk assessment and understanding elemental distribution characteristics.

Results

The study found that elemental content in wild mushrooms is influenced by both internal and external factors. Species-specific differences in element enrichment capacity were identified as a major internal factor. External factors included environmental pollution and soil geochemistry. Processing methods were also found to affect elemental content, with high-temperature processing generally increasing concentrations of some elements while blanching could reduce heavy metal content.

Conclusion

The research demonstrates that wild mushroom element content is primarily determined by species-specific enrichment abilities and environmental conditions. Mushrooms growing near industrial areas, highways, smelters, and chemical plants often show elevated heavy metal levels and should be avoided for consumption. Species with strong heavy metal enrichment capacity should be approached with caution. Different processing methods can affect elemental content, with high-temperature blanching being effective for reducing some heavy metal concentrations.
  • Published in:Journal of Fungi,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: 10.3390/jof8090964
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