Metal content of Armillaria mellea in the Tumen River Basin

Food and environmental safety concerns as well as ecotoxicology considerations require investigation of the metal content of certain types of edible fungi. Thus, we conducted inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry to obtain the metal content profiles of Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd in Armillaria mellea (Vahl ex Fr.) Quel from nine zones in the Tumen River Basin. Statistical analysis showed that the characteristics of Yanji (Zone 1) differed from those of the other eight zones. Compared with the levels in the reference site (0.20 ± 0.01, 0.07 ± 0.02 µg/g for Pb and Cd), the Cd and Pb levels in three zones (1.2 ± 0.1, 8.5 ± 0.4 µg/g for Yanji; 0.35 ± 0.01, 0.73 ± 0.03 µg/g for Longjing; and 6.2 ± 0.4, 0.039 ± 0.000 µg/g for Hunchun) were higher than those listed in the Chinese Industrial Standards (WM/T2-2004; Pb ≤ 5.0 µg/g, Cd ≤ 0.3 µg/g). The present study can contribute data related to pollution control and food safety in the Tumen River Basin.