Heavy metal in edible mushrooms (P. sajor-caju) and its potential health risk / Siti Hani Fareza Ismail

Introduction: Mushroom able to take up pollutants in their fruiting bodies during growth stage and this include the accumulation of heavy metals in mushroom tissue
which unevenly distributed between head and stipe parts. Objective: Three metal elements (Cadmium, Lead and Copper) were studied to evaluate the contamination
of heavy metals in grey oyster (Pleurotus sajor-caju) mushroom and to assess the potential health risk towards consumer. Methodology: Twenty mushroom samples
including head and stipe and twenty substrate samples were collected from farms in Selangor. The concentration of Cd, Pb and Cu in samples was determined by using
Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) after acid digestion process. Finding: Cu had the highest accumulation in head and stipe of the mushroom at 13.18 mg/kg and
10.52 mg/kg, respectively while the lowest reading for both parts was Cd with 1.08 mg/kg and 0.59 mg/kg. There was significant difference between concentration of Cd, Pb and Cu in head and stipe of the mushroom. Concentrations of the three metals in substrate were statistically correlated with concentration in head and stipe. Bioconcentration factor (BCF) was calculated and most of head and stipe were bioexclusors to Cd, Pb and Cu. Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) of Cd, Pb and Cu was less than one but hazard index (HI) showed that both head and stipe were above one and indicated that consumption of P. sajor-caju mushroom may cause adverse health effect. Conclusion: Substrate composition played a role in the bioaccumulation in P. sajor-caju as increasing of heavy metals concentration in substrate bring significant
impact on the concentration in mushroom. Proper cooking and processing mushroom to leach out heavy metals were recommended in ensuring quality of food and lowering the health risk