Vitamin D Contents in Edible Mushrooms

The ergocalciferol and 25-hydroxyergocalciferol contents in cultivated Agaricus bisporus and in five different wild mushroom species were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), using internal standard methods, and the level of previtamin D sub(2) was screened. The methods included saponification and extraction, purification using one or two semipreparative HPLC steps, and quantification with analytical HPLC. The contents of ergocalciferol found in different mushroom species varied significantly (0.21-29.82 mu g/100 g of fresh weight). Wild mushrooms, especially Cantharellus cibarius and Cantharellus tubaeformis, contained high amounts of ergocalciferol, 12.8 and 29.82 mu g/100 g of fresh weight, respectively. The contents of 25-hydroxyergocalciferol were below the limit of detection in all mushrooms. The contribution of previtamin D sub(2) to the total vitamin D activity was less than 10% of that of ergocalciferol in the mushroom species studied (DBO).