Abstract:

The contents of As, Hg and Pb in 5 edible fungal species from different parts of Sichuan province were determined by atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (AFS) and those of Cu, Cr and Cd by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Based on the results of determination, an assessment of heavy metal pollution was made by single factor pollution index and Nemerow pollution index methods. The results showed that the total eligibility rate of 52 tested samples was only 7.96%. The contents of Cr, Hg and Cd were above the regulated criteria in some of these samples, and the content of Cr exceeded the national standard more seriously than those of the other two heavy metals. The average content of Mn in all these samples reached 15.93 mg/kg, the highest among the 7 elements. The pollution evaluations also showed that the pollution situation of Cr was the most serious. As a conclusion, heavy metal pollution in edible fungi from Sichuan province is very serious and meanwhile, the relevant standards for Mn content should be improved as soon as possible.

Key words: edible fungi, heavy metals, content, atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (AFS), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), pollution evaluation