Oyster mushrooms, OM, Pleurotus ostreatus, have been used in traditional medicines for over 3000 years. Among the many purported health benefits is its apparent antilipidemic effect. OM are reported to contain the statin monacolin K, also known as mevinolin or lovastatin. While surveying commercially available Red Yeast Rice supplements for the presence of monacolin K and possible contamination by the mycotoxin citrinin, a commercial sample of dried oyster mushrooms and a specimen of false turkey-tail fungi, Stereum ostrea a crust fungi were analyzed. As expected, the OM sample did contain monacolin K, somewhat unexpectedly, the false turkey-tail fungi also contained appreciable quantities of monacolin K. Suprisingly, both samples also contained citrinin. We have expanded our survey to evaluate bracket or shelf fungi including Pleurotus ostreatus species, as well as crust fungi for the presence of lovastatin and citrinin.

Survey of bracket and crust fungi for the presence of monacolin K and citrinin

249th National Meeting (2015)

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