Plant Soil Environ., 2021, 67(11):668-677 | DOI: 10.17221/423/2021-PSE

Element contents and health risk assessment in wild edible mushrooms of Bosnia and HerzegovinaOriginal Paper

Mirsada Salihović ORCID...^*,1, Mirha Pazalja¹, Aida Šapčanin¹, Biljana P. Dojčinović², Selma Špirtović-Halilović¹

¹ Facultyof Pharmacy, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

² Instituteof Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Republic of Serbia

The content of macro- and microelements in dry samples of mushrooms of the species Macrolepiota procera, Boletus edulis and Cantharellus cibarius, collected at different areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was determined using the ICP-OES method (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry). Of the macroelements, K is the most represented, followed by S, P, Mg, and the least represented Ca and Na. Zn is the most represented of the essential microelements, followed by Fe, Se, Cu, Mn and Co. Al is the most abundant of the other trace elements followed by Ni and Cr. Of the toxic metals, the most represented is Cd, followed by Pb and As. There are differences in the concentration of micro- and macroelements in the mushrooms analysed, depending on the area from which they were collected because natural geology and geochemistry influence the content of macro- and microelements in wild edible mushrooms. The results show that the analysed mushrooms can be considered a good source of essential elements. The study also assessed potential health risks of heavy metals and the target hazard quotient (THQ) for As, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr in the analysed mushrooms was lower than the safe level. The carcinogenic risk index revealed that Cd and Ni are the most prevalent pollutants in the mushrooms studied.

Keywords: fungi; micro- and macronutrients; health hazard analysis

Published: November 15, 2021  Show citation