Selenium Bioaccumulation in Shiitake Mushrooms: A Nutritional Alternative Source of this Element

Abstract

Selenium is an essential trace element for both human and animals and is required for the 21st amino acid, selenocysteine, which is used for the synthesis of about a dozen selenoenzymes. In this study, it is demonstrated that shiitake mushroom is a good Se accumulator and only one step during fructification was necessary to obtained enriched mushroom. Se enriched shiitake mushroom can be considered to be an excellent source of this element and used to consumption in different ways.

Selenium speciation and biological characteristics of selenium-rich Bailing mushroom, Pleurotus tuoliensis

“…The primary organic selenium compounds were selenocysteine (SeCys) and selenomethionine (SeMet), while no methyl selenocysteine was detected, which is differs from that reported by Maseko et al, from a study only SeCys existed in Agaricus bisporus mushrooms grown on substrates supplemented with inorganic selenium (Maseko et al, 2013). This showed that the distribution of accumulated organic selenium varied among different mushroom species, but all organic forms were well absorbed and used for selenoprotein biosynthesis (Nunes et al, 2012). In our study, the contents of selenoamino acids determined in control stipes and caps were 0.64 and 0.65 mg SeCys/kg DW, 0.55 and 0.25 mg SeMet/kg DW, respectively.…”

Supplementation of cultivated mushroom species with selenium: bioaccumulation and speciation study

“…Se-fortified mushrooms appear to be a new and important alternative to Se-enriched yeast in supplementation of the diet with this non-metal [9,46]. It is worth underlining that the efficiency of Se supplementation significantly depends on the kind of Se species [47] and their concentration, as was presented by Nunes et al [48]. These authors tested Lentinula edodes (Berk.)…”

Cultivation of Agaricus bisporus enriched with selenium, zinc and copper

“…Therefore, global interest in dietary supplements is generally increasing. Biofortified mushrooms may have a high commercial value because their use as a food is widely accepted and their cultivation is inexpensive and does not require sophisticated methods . Moreover, biofortified mushrooms still remain natural products as their enrichment in chemical compounds involves natural processes (uptake and accumulation) and as such, they are likely to be perceived as more healthy compared to synthetic supplements .…”