Sterol and vitamin D2 contents in some wild and cultivated mushrooms

The contents of vitamin D2 and sterols in some wild and cultivated mushrooms were determined, and the distribution of these compounds in different parts of the wild mushrooms was evaluated. In addition, the variation in vitamin D2 contents between individual fruiting bodies of wild mushrooms was studied. Vitamin D2 was determined using an HPLC method, including saponification and semipreparative normal-phase HPLC purification before analytical reversed-phase quantification with an internal standard. Sterol contents were analysed with gas chromatography using an internal standard method, including saponification before derivatizing sterols to trimethylsilyl ethers. Mass-spectral analyses were used to further confirm the identification of sterols. Vitamin D2 was almost totally absent in cultivated mushrooms, while some wild mushrooms contained high concentrations of this vitamin (4.7–194 μg/100 g dry weight). Ergosterol was the most abundant sterol found in mushrooms, and its contents were higher in cultivated mushrooms (602.1–678.6) than in wild mushrooms (296–489 mg/100 g dry weight). The contents of vitamin D2 and ergosterol varied greatly and moderately, respectively, between different parts of the mushrooms and were lowest in stipes. In addition, high variation in vitamin D2 contents between individual fruiting bodies was found.