Mineral contents of 34 species of edible mushrooms growing wild in Turkey

Mineral contents of 34 species of wild mushrooms, growing particularly in the central Anatolia region in Turkey, were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). All mushrooms contained high amounts of Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg and P. The highest potassium level was 45189.4 mg kg-1 for the species Coprinus micaceus, whereas the lowest K content was 9973.8 mg kg-1 in Polyporus squamosus. Among the wild mushrooms, the highest lead level was 5.4 mg kg-1 in the species Helvella leucomelano. Iron contents of mushrooms were found in similarly small percentages in all the species analysed, ranging from 338.3 mg kg-1 in Russula delica to 8994.71 mg kg-1 in Helvella spadicea. Phosphorus content ranged from 2095.6 mg kg-1 in Polyporus squamosus to 22799.0 mg kg-1 in Helvella spadicea. Magnesium was found to be high, ranging from 458.1 mg kg-1 in Rhizopogon luteolus to 4254.9 mg kg-1 in Morchella esculenta. This study attempts to contribute to knowledge of the human nutritional properties of these mushroom species, and may be useful for the evaluation of dietary information. © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry.