The Role in the Human Diet of Bioaccumulation of Selenium, Copper, Zinc, Manganese and Iron in Edible Mushrooms in Various Habitat Conditions of NW Poland—A Case Study

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the contents of microelements in Boletus edulis, Imleria badia and Leccinum scabrum, taking into account the soil conditions in selected forest areas of Northwest Poland and the bioaccumulation capacity of these fungi and their role in the human diet. Se, Cu, Zn, Mn and Fe contents were determined in the soil (organic and mineral layers) and mushrooms. The study showed that the soils on which fruiting bodies grew did not differ significantly in the contents of these trace elements. The concentrations of microelements in mushrooms in NW Poland were mostly at the lower range of the contents reported for these species in other regions of Poland and Europe. The uptake of microelements by the studied mushrooms was influenced by soil reaction, organic matter content, and bioavailable and total forms of the elements. B. edulis contained significantly more Se than other mushroom species and, together with I. badia, was much more abundant in Cu and Zn than L. scabrum. Fruiting bodies bioaccumulated Se (most strongly by B. edulis; BCF = 120.6), Cu and Zn. The contents of microelements in the tested mushrooms may be supplementary elements in the human diet.