Abstract
The effects of blanching, blanching and pickling and maceration on the leaching of 137Cs and 40K from the flesh of three edible bolete mushroom species—Boletus edulis, Leccinum scabrum and Leccinum versipelle—were investigated. Significant (p < 0.05) decreases in activity were observed but varied depending on the treatment. Relative to fresh mushrooms, blanching decreased the activity concentration of 137Cs by 15 ± 13%, and of 40K, by 16 ± 7%, but blanching and pickling (vinegar) reduced activity more effectively, by 55 ± 8% and 40 ± 20% respectively. The corresponding losses of 137Cs and 40K through maceration of dried, powdered mushrooms were 38 ± 11% and 35 ± 14% ww, respectively. These results indicate that traditional domestic processing methods may not be as efficient at excluding 137Cs radioactivity as shown in some other studies. The activity concentration of 137Cs in a typically sized (100 g) portion of a processed mushroom (sourced from nearshore regions of the southern Baltic Sea coast near Gdańsk in 2015) meal was projected to be low, i.e. in the range of 0.51 to 12 Bq kg−1 ww. The corresponding effective dose of 137Cs from blanched, blanched and pickled and macerated mushrooms per capita was also assessed to be low, from 0.001 to 0.010 μSv. Nutritionally, the median concentration of potassium (330 mg) in 100 g portions of blanched or pickled mushrooms would account for around 7% of the adequate adult daily intake.Graphical abstract
Highlights
IntroductionEdible wild mushrooms are efficient bio-accumulators of various mineral constituents and other beneficial organic compounds (e.g. antioxidants), which are vital for their enzymecatalysed biosynthetic processes
Edible wild mushrooms are efficient bio-accumulators of various mineral constituents and other beneficial organic compounds, which are vital for their enzymecatalysed biosynthetic processes (Bhatia et al 2013; Borovička et al 2010; Falandysz 2013; Mędyk et al 2020; Responsible Editor: Georg SteinhauserSantiago et al 2016)
The activity concentration of 40K in whole fruiting bodies of B. edulis, L. scabrum and L. versipelle were in the range from 110 to 130 Bq kg−1 ww (Table 1)
Summary
Edible wild mushrooms are efficient bio-accumulators of various mineral constituents and other beneficial organic compounds (e.g. antioxidants), which are vital for their enzymecatalysed biosynthetic processes Santiago et al 2016) They are considered as nutritionally beneficial foods which in addition to improving bowel function, can be a dietary source of essential macro-elements such as potassium (K), phosphorous (P) and micro-elements such as selenium (Se), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) (Falandysz and Borovička 2013; Nnorom et al 2019). Fresh or preserved, need to be well cooked and meals prepared from wild species are exceptionally prized
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