Formaldehyde levels and formaldehyde-exposure-related health risk levels of edible mushrooms cultivated in China

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of naturally produced (NP) formaldehyde in edible mushrooms cultivated in China and the formaldehyde-exposure-related health risks of the mushrooms. Therefore, 2000 edible mushrooms samples including Lentinus edodes , Auricularia , Pleurotus ostreatus , Agaricus bisporus , Flammulina velutipes and Tremella fuciformis were collected from 21 provinces from 2013 to 2015. Then, their formaldehyde levels were analyzed by acetylacetone spectrophotometry , and the risks of formaldehyde exposure from the consumption mushrooms were calculated by point assessment and probability assessment using @RISK software. The results showed that, NP formaldehyde was common in farm-sourced (FS) samples, with the maximum level of 107 mg/kg in FS L. edodes . The formaldehyde levels in market-sourced (MS) fresh L. edodes samples were lower than those in FS L . edodes samples, and the formaldehyde levels in MS dried L . edodes samples ranged from 0 mg/kg to 270 mg/kg. The formaldehyde levels in fresh A . polytricha , P . ostreatus , A . bisporus and F . velutipes samples were not greater than 28 mg/kg, and those in dried A . auricula and T . fuciformis samples were not greater than 46 mg/kg. The results of point assessment and probability assessment indicated that, consuming the mushrooms posed no health risk to Chinese consumers.