Supplementation of cultivated mushroom species with selenium: bioaccumulation and speciation study

From the paper

Abstract

Selenium (Se) is a highly essential element, intakes of which in many populations are below the established requirements. As edible mushrooms represent an important part of the human diet in some regions, the present study investigated the concentrations of Se species (Se(IV), Se(VI), Seₒᵣg and Seₜₒₜₐₗ) in three cultivated mushroom species (Pleurotus eryngii, Pleurotus ostreatus, Pholiota nameko) growing on substrates supplemented with different concentrations of sodium selenite Na₂SeO₃ (IV) and sodium selenate Na₂SeO₄ (VI) solutions. The most effective Se supplementation was observed for P. ostreatus fruiting bodies growing on substrates with Se concentrations of 0.25 and 0.5 mM (53 and 62 mg kg⁻¹ DW, respectively). Additionally, supplementation with Se salts stimulated P. eryngii biomass growth only. The highest bioconcentration factor (BCF) values of analysed Se species were observed for P. nameko fruiting bodies. Additionally, BCF values indicating accumulation of Se were observed when mushrooms were grown on substrates with ≥0.25 mM (P. nameko) or ≥0.5 mM (P. ostreatus and P. eryngii) Se addition. Our findings show that edible mushrooms growing on Se-supplemented substrates may represent food supplementation in the situation of Se deficiency.