Multi-element survey of wild edible fungi and blackberries in the UK

Claire Weeks (1) , Mark Osborne (2) , Leisha Hewitt (1) , Patrick Miller (3) , Michelle Croasdale (3) , Malcolm Baxter (4) , Paul Robb (4) , Paul Warriss (2) , Toby Knowles (5)

1 School of Veterianry Science
2 School of Veterinary Science
3 Food Standards Agency
4 CSL - DEFRA Central Science Laboratory
5 School of Veterinary Science

A survey of 12 metals including lead (Pb), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As) and platinum(Pt) was carried out using ICP-MS in 34 samples of wild fungi and 48 samples of wild blackberries collected from sites across the UK. On a freshweight basis (mg/kg) levels of Pb were in the range 0.003-5.990, Cu 0.596-34.800, Cd <0.001-19.6, Hg <0.001-4.150, As 0.001 – 0.972 and Pt (µg/kg) 0.006 – 0.200, with higher concentrations found in fungi than in blackberries. The results of the survey showed that the concentrations of the metals were consistent with previous studies, where available. Concentrations in wild fungi of Pt, tin (Sn), and titanium(Ti) were significantly higher at urban sites than at rural sites. Urban blackberries had significantly higher levels of Pb, Ti, and Cd than rural ones, but lower levels of manganeseMn. Pb, Ti and Sn concentrations were significantly higher in blackberries sampled near main roads rather than in rural areas.

Mots clés: Life Sciences

Claire Weeks, Mark Osborne, Leisha Hewitt, Patrick Miller, Michelle Croasdale, et al.. Multi-element survey of wild edible fungi and blackberries in the UK. Food Additives and Contaminants, 2006, 23 (02), pp.140. ⟨10.1080/02652030500386184⟩. ⟨hal-00577563⟩