Presencia de arsénico en hongos comestibles, complementos alimenticios de ellos y sustratos de crecimiento en Galiciarepercusiones alimentarias

Abstract

Levels of arsenic (As) in the main commercial species of fungi present in Galicia, their growth substrates and fungal food supplements were analyzed and their impact on food safety assessed in this study. The mean concentrations of As, expressed as the ratio of mg/kg fresh weight (fw)/mg/kg dry weight (dw), were 0.029/0.273 in wild mushrooms, 0.029/0.271 in cultivated mushrooms, 0.075/0.396 in mushroom supplements, and, 0.250/0.514 in culture substrates respectively. By species, Lactarius deliciosus stood out with an average of 0.487 mg/kg dw, there being no significant differences between species. Levels in supplements, although low, were higher than in wild or cultivated mushrooms. The obtained arsenic levels are within the usual range found in the matrices analyzed in unpolluted areas. With these low concentrations in fungi grown and mushroom supplements produced in Galicia, and taking into account the share these foods have in the diet and the low presence of inorganic forms of As, it can be concluded that there is no toxicological food safety risk associated with the consumption of the analyzed species or with the indicated doses for supplements owing to the presence of arsenic