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There is an ongoing interest in the production of mushrooms as food, and with their consumption on the rise, there is a need to establish different safety measures. In the present study, six mushroom species (Agrocybe cylindracea, Clitocybe maxima, Flammulina velutipes, Ganoderma lucidum, Lentinula edodes and Pleurotus eryngii) were cultivated on two commonly used substrates (A—based on alder and beech sawdust; B—based on oak sawdust and flax shives). The aims were to determine their growth and the accumulation of 70 elements in their fruiting bodies, 33 of which were detected in all analysed samples and were used for statistical evaluation. Cultivation of C. maxima, G. lucidum and L. edodes resulted in higher yield and mineral content when substrate A was used, cultivation of A. cylindracea and F. velutipes yielded better results on substrate B, P. eryngii cultivation outcomes were similar for both substrates. L. edodes was found to have a high affinity to accumulate Cd, C. maxima can bioconcentrate Al and Ni, Ganoderma lucidum—Pb, while F. velutipes—Hg. The study indicated that the chemical composition of substrates could affect both the yield and the level of various toxic and nutritional elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White rot fungi (WRF) are known to have the ability to degrade organic pollutants with a structure similar to lignin. Because of this, the degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners no. 28, 52, 101, 138, 153 and 180 by substrate before fruiting (substrate) and/or after fruiting (SMS) from cultivated mushrooms Pleurotus ostreatus, Lentinula edodes and Agaricus bisporus was examined. The experiment was carried out in four replications for each treatment using a mixture of substrate/SMS and sandy soil with PCBs at a concentration of each congener at 50 and 100 μg kg−1 soil DW. The results indicate that degradation was dependent on substrate/SMS addition, the concentration of PCBs and time of incubation. The efficiency of PCB degradation was generally reduced with the number of chlorine atoms in the structure of congeners: 28, 52, 101, 138, 153 or 180. In all combinations, degradation increased with incubation time. Degradation by SMS was lower in comparison to degradation by a substrate of the same mushroom. The degree of degradation of a single PCB after 12 weeks of incubation for A. bisporus ranged from 31.32 ± 1.52 to 83.91 ± 1.07%, while for P. ostreatus it was between 37.88 ± 2.54 and 78.29 ± 1.41%; for L. edodes it ranged from 17.38 ± 1.06 to 75.30 ± 1.46%. The best average degradation was confirmed for 20% SMS of A. bisporus at 50 μg kg−1 PCB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]