The aim of this study was to determine the mineral contents of wild grown-edible mushrooms. The potassium (K),
magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd) and
lead (Pb) contents of twenty edible mushrooms, collected from Erzincan province, Turkey, were analyzed. The
minimum and maximum mineral contents of mushrooms were determined as mg/kg dw for K (930-10370), Mg
(424.3-1686.1), Ca (44.2-1669.7), Mn (3.01-37.49), Fe (26.6-258.9), Zn (23.18-83.17), Cu (2.84-128.94), Ni
(1.1-18.37), Cd (0.01-59.16) and Pb (ND-1.75) were determined. The potassium content was found to be higher than
those of the other minerals in all the mushrooms. Lead and cadmium were present but at concentrations that are not
hazardous to human health except for Russula delica. Mushrooms are important in the ecosystem because they are
able to biodegrade the substrate, to collect heavy metal and, therefore, use the wastes of agricultural production. The
Zn, Cu and Cd concentrations were determined to be highest in Russula delica. It is very important for account of
capability of metal accumulation. As a result, it can be used for cleaning metal-contaminated water and soil.
