Mineral composition of edible mushrooms cultivated in Brazil -: Pleurotus spp and other dehydrated species.

Macrofungi can accumulate some minerals, including toxic metals if present in the substrate. A periodic monitoring of these elements in mushrooms is recommended when the conditions of cultivation are altered. The aim of this work was to evaluate the mineral content of Pleurotus spp (hiratake and shimeji) and of imported (chilean and italian) dehydrated mushrooms. Fresh fruiting bodies of Pleurotus spp were obtained from cultivators and dehydrated mushrooms were bought in a market. The samples were dried, milled and digested by CIH-NO3H. The content of P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn. Zn, Na and B were analyzed by ICP-AES and AI,Cd, Cr, Pb, Co, Ni by ICP-OES. The results classify these mushrooms as a source of potassium and copper : Pleurotus spp are also a source of phosphorus (P<0.05); the chilean mushrooms present high content of iron (P< 0.05). All the evaluated mushrooms were identified as a food without sodium (< 5 mg Na/100 g). So these mushrooms being a source of potassium without Na, answer the needs of hypertension and/or heart diseases patients as a food and/or like a condiment for flavor enhancement. Subsequent studies should include major sampling and the evaluation of the toxic metals, Pb and Cr, employing more accurate methods of analysis,as well as the evaluation of Pig (not analysed in this study), mainly in wild mushrooms, commercialized dehydrated.