Evaluation of Nutritional Value, Heavy Metals Content, and Health Risk Assessment of Wild Edible Mushrooms in Mamit District, Mizoram, North East India

Abstract

The present study was conducted to determine the nutritional value, heavy metal content, and any potential health risks related to the consumption of wild edible mushrooms. The samples of mushrooms were collected in an area with reasonable anthropogenic disturbances linked with tourism. The collected samples were explicitly identified by analyzing their morphological and molecular characteristics. Results revealed that the identified mushrooms Lactifluus volemus and Vascellum pratense contain a substantial amount of protein and carbohydrates with low-fat content. Therefore, the selected mushrooms were enriched with biomolecules that are essential for maintaining human nutrition and health. Further, the heavy metals content in both mushrooms ranged from 0.61 to 0.75 mg/kg Cd, 7.75 to 13.14 mg/kg Mn, 0.19 to 0.44 mg/kg Ni, and 0.33 to 0.85 mg/kg Pb. Health risk assessments based on the concentration of heavy metals in Lf. volemus and V. pratense validated their suitability for safe consumption. However, long-term consumption of these mushrooms may impose human health implications through carcinogenic effects.