Pleurotus ostreatus fungus forms an edible mushroom that possesses important nutritional and medicinal properties. Selenium (Se) is essential to human diets and it is in low concentration in the soil, and consequently in food. P. ostreatus was grown in coffee husks enriched with various concentrations of sodium selenite. The biological efficiency of P. ostreatus was affected by the addition of high concentrations of Se. The highest level of Se absorption was obtained by adding 51 mg kg 1 of sodium selenite. The mushrooms from first flush contained more Se than the further flushes. These results demonstrate the great potential of coffee husks in the production of Se-enriched mushrooms and show the ability of this fungus to absorb and biomagnify Se.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Cooking is imperative for beans owing to the presence of compounds that can negatively affect nutritional value. Additionally, the heating of beans can increase protein digestibility and induce desirable sensory properties. However, cooking also causes considerable changes in the composition of numerous chemical constituents, including amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. For this, effects of domestic cooking on the essential element concentrations in various beans species (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were investigated using jalo, fradinho, rajado, rosinha, bolinha, black, and common species. Elemental determination was made with flame atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry after sample digestion in a closed-vessel microwave oven using a diluted oxidant mixture. Analytical methods were evaluated with an addition and recovery test and analysis of certified reference materials (apple and citrus leaves). Ca, Cu, K, and Mg were present mainly in rajado, Cu in jalo, Fe in black, S and Zn in fradinho, and P in rosinha species. Thermal treatment did not affect Cu, Fe, S, and Zn concentrations, but it increased Ca, K, Mg, P, and Zn concentrations in jalo and black species. Ca concentration decreased in fradinho and rajado species, as did Fe concentration in jalo and rajado species.