Mercury in traditionally foraged species of fungi (macromycetes) from the karst area across Yunnan province in China

Abstract

The objective of this study is to better quantify the occurrence, intake, and potential risk from Hg in fungi traditionally foraged in SW China. The concentrations and intakes of Hg were measured from 42 species including a “hard” flesh type polypore fungi and a” soft” flesh type edible species that are used in traditional herbal medicine, collected during the period 2011–2017. Three profiles of forest topsoil from the Zhenyuan site in 2015 and Changning and Dulong sites in 2016 were also investigated. The concentrations of Hg in composite samples of polypore fungi were usually below 0.1 mg kg−1 dry weight (dw) but higher levels, 0.11 ± 0.01 and 0.24 ± 0.00 mg kg−1 dw, were noted in Ganoderma applanatum and Amauroderma niger respectively, both from the Nujiang site near the town of Lanping in NW Yunnan. Hg concentrations in Boletaceae species were usually well above 1.0 mg kg−1 dw and as high as 10 mg kg−1 dw. The quality of the mushrooms in this study in view of contamination with Hg showed a complex picture. The “worst case” estimations showed probable intake of Hg from 0.006 μg kg−1 body mass (bm) (“hard” type flesh) to 0.25 μg kg−1 bm (“soft” flesh) on a daily basis for capsulated products, from 17 to 83 μg kg−1 bm (“soft” flesh) in a meal (“hard” type flesh mushrooms are not cooked while used in traditional herbal medicine after processing), and from 0.042 to 1.7 and 120 to 580 μg kg−1 bm on a weekly basis, respectively. Graphical abstract Key points • Polypore species were slightly contaminated with Hg. • Hg maximal content in the polypore was < 0.25 mg kg−1dry weight. • Many species from Boletaceae family in Yunnan showed elevated Hg. • Locals who often eat Boletus may take Hg at a dose above the daily reference dose.

The use of Li2O fortified growing compost to enhance lithiation in white Agaricus bisporus mushrooms: Li uptake and co-accumulation of other trace elements

“…The analytical methods used for determination of Hg and 17 other elements has been presented in detail earlier [2,17] and is briefly summarized below. Mercury analyses were carried out after thermal decomposition treatment of the sample matrices under pre-set conditions and measurement of Hg vapors released by CV-AAS (cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy) using the MA-2000 mercury analysers (Nippon Instruments Corporation, Takatsuki, Japan) [17]. Hg analyses were repeated three times (SD < 10%) per sample and the calculated mean was used.…”

“…(Poland) (Table 1). Additionally, other control materials, as presented in previous publications, were used [17,31]. The analytical recoveries based on the use of reference materials were: 96-98% for As, 93-114% for Cd, 94-95% for Co, 86-95% for Cs, 83-94% for Cu, 103-105% for Hg, 93% for Mn, 81-84% for Ni, 72-97% for Pb, 95-101% for Rb, 105-122% for Se, 98-126% for Sr, 89-98% for Tl, 77-90% for V and 83-121% for Zn (Table 1).…”

“…In terms of absolute concentration values, both In general, Ni occurred in control and lithiated A. bisporus at very small concentration-the smallest value reported for this species or wild mushrooms in the scientific literature [39,46]. Vanadium is a common trace constituent in cultivated and wild mushrooms, but only some toadstools from the genus Amanita have been characterized as specifically rich in it (~ 100 mg•kg −1 dw) [1,17,32].…”

“…This species is widely known and consumed which minimizes the barrier that would arise for potential consumers, with buying new and relatively less known mushrooms. E.g., Ganoderma lucidum, which is widely considered as a medicinal species, is a hard-type polypore and unfit for a mushroom meal-a medicinal formula has to be in a form of "macerate, tincture, decoct or a composite elixir" [17], and effectiveness of Li extraction from a polypore to a possible formula is unknown. The therapeutic dose of the Li salts for some treatment (e.g., bipolar disorder) are relatively high (≤ 360 mg), and the amount of dried mushroom needed to supply this dose would be clearly high.…”

Total mercury and methylmercury (MeHg) in braised and crude Boletus edulis carpophores during various developmental stages

“…ex Fr.) Singer (Alonso et al 2000;Árvay et al 2014;Bargagli and Baldi 1984;Falandysz et al 2001Falandysz et al , 2002Falandysz et al , 2013Falandysz et al , 2020bJarzyńska et al 2012;Kavčič et al 2019;Kojta et al 2015;Krasińska and Falandysz 2016;Melgar et al 2009;Nasr and Arp 2011;Nnorom et al 2013;Rieder et al 2011;Saba et al 2016;Širić and Falandysz 2020;Wiejak et al 2016).…”