Safety & Toxicity

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Study

Freezing Wild Porcini Lowers Some Toxic Metal Levels

Freezing Wild Porcini Lowers Some Toxic Metal Levels

Porcini

What they found

Freezing porcini at −20 °C for five months cut nickel by 70%, iron by 40% and mercury by 36%.

Freezing porcini at −20 °C for five months cut nickel by 70%, iron by 40% and mercury by 36%.

The number

Nickel dropped the most (−70%)

How solid is it?

Lab dish

Lab dish

Lab – chemical analysis

Lab – chemical analysis

Evidence ladder: Lab dish → Animal → Early human → Strong human. Reviews summarize earlier research.

At a glance

Latin name

Boletus edulis

Boletus edulis

Published in

Food Chemistry

Food Chemistry

Covered in Shroom Scan

Section

GROWING & GOURTMET

GROWING & GOURTMET

As it ran in Shroom Scan

Frozen Porcini Safety

Frozen Porcini Safety

Freezing wild porcini (Boletus edulis) at −20 °C for five months lowered the levels of toxic metals absorbed from contaminated soils. Nickel dropped the most (−70%), followed by iron (−40%) and mercury (−36%), while reductions in lead, cadmium, and other elements were smaller. Lithium showed no meaningful change. The findings suggest freezing can selectively reduce heavy metal risks in foraged porcini, adding nuance for safety-conscious mushroom hunters.

Freezing wild porcini (Boletus edulis) at −20 °C for five months lowered the levels of toxic metals absorbed from contaminated soils. Nickel dropped the most (−70%), followed by iron (−40%) and mercury (−36%), while reductions in lead, cadmium, and other elements were smaller. Lithium showed no meaningful change. The findings suggest freezing can selectively reduce heavy metal risks in foraged porcini, adding nuance for safety-conscious mushroom hunters.

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