AI Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the radioactivity levels in White Truffles (WT) from southern Hungary, focusing on the concentration of radiocaesium-137 that could be harmful.
- All tested WT fruitbodies showed non-significant levels of radiocaesium, indicating they are safe for consumption despite some soil samples exhibiting slight concentrations.
- This is particularly important as global demand for WTs is increasing, especially since parts of Europe still have contamination from the Chernobyl disaster, raising health concerns for mushroom foragers.
Article Abstract
Despite being one of the most expensive gourmet foods, it remains unclear if the iconic White Truffle (Tuber magnatum Pico; hereinafter WT) accumulates radioactivity at harmful levels comparable to other fungal species. Here, we measure the active radiocaesium-137 concentration (Cs) in ten hypogeous WT fruitbodies from southern Hungary, and the soils in which they were growing. All WTs reveal non-significant Cs values, thus providing an 'all clear' for WT hunters in the species' northernmost habitats, where corresponding soil samples occasionally exhibit slight Cs concentrations. Our results are particularly relevant in the light of a rapidly increasing global demand for WTs and their subsequent trading extent and price inflation, because up to 600 kg of fresh fruitbodies are harvested each year in southern Hungary. Moreover, some of Europe's forest ecosystems, in which mushroom picking is common practise, are still contaminated with Cs from the Chernobyl fallout more than 30 years ago, posing a serious threat to human health.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.06.108 | DOI Listing |
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