GC-MS studies of the chemical composition of two inedible mushrooms of the genus Agaricus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mushrooms in the genus <it>Agaricus </it>have worldwide distribution and include the economically important species <it>A. bisporus</it>. Some <it>Agaricus </it>species are inedible, including <it>A. placomyces </it>and <it>A. pseudopratensis</it>, which are similar in appearance to certain edible species, yet are known to possess unpleasant odours and induce gastrointestinal problems if consumed. We have studied the chemical composition of these mushrooms using GC-MS.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our GC-MS studies on the volatile fractions and butanol extracts resulted in the identification of 44 and 34 compounds for <it>A. placomyces </it>and <it>A. pseudopratensis</it>, respectively, including fatty acids and their esters, amino acids, and sugar alcohols. The most abundant constituent in the volatiles and butanol were phenol and urea respectively. We also identified the presence of ergosterol and two Δ⁷-sterols. In addition, 5α,8α-Epidioxi-24(ξ)-methylcholesta-6,22-diene-3β-ol was isolated for the first time from both mushrooms. Our study is therefore the first report on the chemical composition of these two species.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results obtained contribute to the knowledge of the chemical composition of mushrooms belonging to the <it>Agaricus </it>genus, and provide some explanation for the reported mild toxicity of <it>A. placomyces </it>and <it>A. pseudopratensis</it>, a phenonomenon that can be explained by a high phenol content, similar to that found in other <it>Xanthodermatei </it>species.</p