Acumulación de selenio en setas silvestres comestibles: captación y toxicidad Selenium accumulation in wild edible mushrooms: Uptake and toxicity

Abstract

Selenium is considered as a trace element metal, but in excessive doses it becomes toxic for the consumer's health. In this study, the goal was to determine the accumulation capacity of selenium in edible mushrooms in relation to some factors and their possible toxicological implications. Edible mushrooms (97 samples of 14 species) were collected in Lugo, Galicia (Spain). Anatomical parts, hymenophore and the rest of the fruiting body, were processed by digestion in acid medium in a microwave oven and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer. Boletus pinicola and Boletus edulis reached the highest mean selenium contents in hymenophore with values of 74.93 and 52.7 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. Organic matter in growth soil between 12–16% favoured its uptake. Finally, taking into account the dose of chronic toxicity of selenium, relatively close to the dietary recommendations (WHO), and the concentrations obtained in the studied mushrooms, a moderate consumption of some species of Boletus is recommended. © 2009 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.