Trace element determination in some edible wild mushroom species collected in Tokat province

In this study, wild edible mushroom species Lactarius deliciosus, Laetiporus sulphureus, Armillaria mellea, Cantharellus cibarius, Tricholoma terreum, Agaricus bitorquis, Boletus edulis, Hydnum repandum, Ramaria flava, Coprinus comatus collected from forested areas in Tokat province in 2022- 2023 were thawed by wet burning technique. Trace element contents (Ni, Pb, Cd, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ca and Mg) were determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. According to the results obtained, the literature values of the highest and lowest valued species of the were compared with the data in the literature. The lowest and highest trace element concentrations in mushroom species are: 1.62 - 9.90 (Ni), 2.40 - 6.23 (Pb), -- (Cd), 4.86 - 49.66 (Cu), 0.16 - 2.68 (Cr), 4.41 - 80.74 (Mn), 30.18 - 748 (Ca) and 336 - 462 (Mg) mg/kg. The resulting values are intended to guide scientists working in the field of mushrooms. It has been noted that mushrooms rich in protein may vary in their content depending on the region where they are grown, and that mushrooms collected along roadsides and around factories are likely to have higher heavy metal content. This study aims to shed light on the safety of mushroom consumption by providing important data in terms of both ecological and health. Excessive consumption of mushrooms can lead to heavy metal accumulation in the human body, which can cause various diseases such as cancer.