engleski

Rare earth fingerprints in edible macrofungi from north-western Croatia

Macrofungi (macroscopic fungi) take up elements from a substrate via spacious mycelium. Even though the mechanisms of assimilation and transportation of REEs in fungi are still poorly known, literature data suggest that macrofungi have the ability to accumulate higher concentrations of rare earth elements than some vascular plants. This can be of considerable importance in edible fungi, which, if frequently consumed, can present a potential source of REE in the human diet. The present study aims to investigate levels and distribution of rare earth elements, including Y, (REY) in fruiting bodies of edible fungi collected from the north-western part of Croatia. According to the Geochemical Atlas of Europe, the study area is characterised by naturally elevated levels of REYs. This provides an opportunity to study the distribution and fractionation of REY in edible fungi under initially elevated levels of rare earths in local soils. During the sampling campaign, an attempt was made to collect different edible fungal species from this area. A total of 20 samples, representing 15 edible species from the phylum Basidiomycota, was collected and analyzed by High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry for the total concentration of rare earth elements, including Y. The obtained concentrations, with REY ranging from 0.019 mg kg-1 to 0.452 mg kg-1, are similar or slightly lower compared to literature values for the macrofungal species. The results point to large variability between different studied species with regards to their ability for rare earth elements uptake and suggest that some other factors, in addition to the total soil REY concentrations, influence accumulation of this group of elements in the fruiting bodies of macrofungi.

Rare earth elements ; macrofungi ; Croatia

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