Cultivation of saprophytic fungi on selenium-rich substrates can be an effective means to produce selenium-fortified food. Pleurotus florida, an edible species of oyster mushrooms, was grown on wheat straw from the seleniferous belt of Punjab (India) and its potential to mobilize and accumulate selenium from the growth substrate was studied. Selenium concentration in biofortified mushrooms was ...

There are about 2500 recorded species of edible mushrooms. The most expensive and sought after of these mushrooms belong to the mycorrhizal group and include Tuber melanosporum Vitt. (Périgord black truffle), Tuber magnatum Pico & Vitt. (Italian white truffle), Tricholoma matsutake (Ito & Imai) Sing. (matsutake), Boletus edulis Bull: Fr. sensu lato (porcini) Cantharellus cibarius Fr.: Fr. (chan...

Mushrooms are large reproductive structures of edible fungi belonging to either Ascomycotina or Basidiomycotina. They are non-green fungi which occur seasonally all over the world in various habitats. The mushrooms comprise a large heterogeneous group having various shapes, sizes and colours, all quite different in character, appearance and edibility. Of these large groups with more than 2000 e...

INTRODUCTION As regards a significant intake of wild growing edible mushrooms, especially in East and Central Europe, concentrations of toxic elements should be periodically analysed. The aim of the study was to assess changes in concentrations of selected trace elements (Ba, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn) in a mushroom species, Xerocomus badius. MATERIAL AND METHODS Xerocomus bad...

There is an exponential increase in dementia in old age at a global level because of increasing life expectancy. The prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) will continue to rise steadily, and is expected to reach 42 million cases worldwide in 2020. Despite the advancement of medication, the management of these diseases remains largely ineffective....

Preventive medicine and food industry have shown an increased interest in the development of natural antioxidants, since those most commonly used synthetic antioxidants may have restricted use in food. This could explain why there is currently much research on the antioxidant properties from natural products such as mushrooms. Many mushrooms have been reported to possess antioxidant properties,...

Oxidative stress caused by an imbalanced metabolism and an excess of reactive oxygen species (ROS) lead to a range of health disorders in humans. Our endogenous antioxidant defense mechanisms and our dietary intake of antioxidants potentially regulate our oxidative homeostasis. Numerous synthetic antioxidants can effectively improve defense mechanisms, but because of their adverse toxic effects...

Homobasidiomycete fungi display many complex fruiting body morphologies, including mushrooms and puffballs, but their anatomical simplicity has confounded efforts to understand the evolution of these forms. We performed a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of homobasidiomycetes, using sequences from nuclear and mitochondrial ribosomal DNA, with an emphasis on understanding evolutionary relatio...

Our study was aimed at determining contents of cadmium, lead, and oxalic acid in select wild edible mushrooms harvested from areas potentially more (Ostrowiec Św (P1). and Ożarów (P2)) or less the protection zone of Magurski National Park (M – mountain) exposed to pollution. The experimental material were fruiting bodies of four species of edible mushrooms: boletus (Boletus edulis), bay bolete ...

Mycophiles forage for and pick vast quantities of a wide variety of wild mushroom species. As a result, mushroom intoxications are comparatively frequent in such countries with mycophiles. Thus, national governments are forced to release guidelines or enact legislation in order to ensure the safe commerce of wild mushrooms due to food safety concerns. It is in these guidelines and laws that one...