Planta Med 2014; 80 - P2P4
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1394842

Effects of gamma irradiation on macro and microelements of Boletus edulis Bull.: Fr. and Hydnum repandum L.: Fr.

A Fernandes 1, 2, 3, JCM Barreira 2, AL Antonio 1, 4, P Morales 2, V Fernández-Ruiz 2, MBPP Oliveira 3, A Martins 1, ICFR Ferreira 1
  • 1Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), ESA, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Portugal
  • 2Departamento de Nutrición y Bromatología II. Bromatología. Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
  • 3REQUIMTE/Departamento de Ciências Químicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
  • 4IST/CTN, Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

Mushrooms are considered excellent sources of minerals, being necessary to know the levels of essential elements in the edible species [1]. Mineral elements are classified in macro (e.g., Ca, Mg, Na, K) and microelements (e.g., Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn) with functions that include maintaining acid-base balance, osmotic regulation, oxygen transport and enzymatic cofactors [2 – 3]. Mushrooms need special caution in their conservation. Accordingly, treatments such as gamma rays have been applied to improve their shelf life and reduce health hazards caused by pathogenic microorganisms [4]. In this work, gamma irradiation was applied to Boletus edulis Bull.: Fr. and Hydnum repandum L.: Fr. to assess the effects on the minerals composition. The fruiting bodies were collected in Trás-os-Montes (Northeast of Portugal) in November 2012. Fresh samples were irradiated in experimental equipment with four 60Co sources, at 1 and 2 kGy. The studied mushrooms presented high levels of macro and microelements. Up to the applied doses, some significant differences were observed. However, in most cases, changes did not follow a marked tendency, being more likely to be derived from the natural variability in mineral accumulation as a result of mushroom growth in different ecosystems. Hence, irradiation treatment, using gamma rays up to 2 kGy, is a suitable technique to disinfest and/or decontaminate wild mushrooms, independently of their species or physical state.

Acknowledgements: FCT and COMPETE/QREN/UE- strategic projects PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/2011 (CIMO) and PEst-C/EQB/LA0006/2011 (REQUIMTE); grant SFRH/BD/76019/2011 to A. Fernandes and SFRH/BPD/72802/2010 to J. Barreira.

Keywords: Wild mushrooms, Macroelements, Microelements, Gamma irradiation.

References:

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[2] Mahan, L.K. et al. (2012). Krause Dietoterapia (13th ed.) Elsevier.

[3] Koyyalamudi, S.R. et al. (2013). J Food Compos Anal 31:109 – 114.

[4] Fernandes, Â. et al. (2012). Food Chem 135: 641 – 650.