From mushrooms to shitake, the mushroom is at the same time a timeless and trendy ingredient. The diatribe fungus friend versus enemy fungus it is old and does not seem closed. But now to get into the debate and add weight on the scale on the fungus side are the scientists National University of Singapore. According to the latest research, eating mushrooms at least twice a week would help to prevent the problems of cognitive decline in which they risk encountering over-sixties.

Eat mushrooms: all health!

However, the mushrooms have many underestimated beneficial properties: allies of ours immune system, are an excellent source of minerals, of B vitamins and are rich in substances antioxidants. And it would be one of these antioxidants, ergotionein, present in fungi and unique, the brain protector identified by scientists.

The six-year study in Singapore showed that people who eat mushrooms at least a couple of times the week (more than 300 gr) break down the risks of developing problems memory and language with advancing age. More mushrooms ate the study participants better responded to the cognitive assessment tests. Though the same scholars raise the doubt and promise to confirm in the future the direct correlation between mushroom consumption and reduction of the risk of moderate cognitive decline.

A little caution
The fungus is therefore increasingly rehabilitated on a nutritional level. (typically it was advised not to eat them more than once a week). That said, the mushrooms still have a dose, albeit minimal, of toxicity. It is better not to make a feast because they could cause intolerance reactions, which vary greatly from one person to another. But above all our beloved fungi can result not easy to digest, because their cell membrane contains chitin, one woody substance similar to that of the carapace of crustaceans: gastric juices have difficulty attacking it and digestion is slowed down.

From this point of view, it is advisable consume cooked mushrooms. "I'm very few varieties that you can eat raw, always in small quantities and very fresh: porcini, field mushrooms, ovoli says Gianfranco Visentin, national secretary of the Breslaola mycological association. Not only. Some toxins I'm heat sensitive and certain fungi, the most common is the so-called tack (Armillaria mellea), are edible from cooked, while raw are toxic. «In fact they contain thermolabile toxins, which are dispersed for 90% with heat: they go blanched at 100 ° for at least 5 minutes before the actual cooking, so that the temperature reaches the inside, or dried. It is not enough to cook them in the oven, on the grill or fry them. The nail should be blanched for 10-15 minutes and then cooked (or frozen), throwing away the water continues Visentin.

Collection, purchase, cleaning and storage

If the recommendations to the experts' preamble rightly begin to diminish due to the consumption of mushrooms, they certainly remain valid with respect to the collection. In Italy there is a boom in crops, but if you buy sylvans, pay attention: you should always contact a safe retailers and do not improvise and discard badly preserved, old, damaged, moldy or watery mushrooms. «In the markets, it must be verified that the package contains the tag, which attests the control aside ASL. While traders must own theauthorization for the sale of fresh wild mushrooms, issued by the Municipality says the expert.

As for cleaning, it is generally advisable not to wash them but to clean them carefully to remove soil residues with a brush or a damp cloth; if they are very dirty, you can quickly pass under a jet of water or immerse for a few seconds in water.

The is also very important storage because the mushrooms are very delicate and perishable: if they begin to break down, they produce toxins. They should therefore be kept in rigid and aerated containers (wicker baskets are good for collection, never plastic bags) and stored in cool place, even in the fridge; they are not maintained more than 2-3 days and it is therefore advisable to eat them (or preserve them) as soon as possible.

In case of problems
If, despite precautions, one feels ill after eating the mushrooms, the risk generally varies according to symptoms. "Those immediate, from a few minutes to six hours (short latency), are i less riskyExplains Visentin. "Symptoms more dangerous they are the ones that appear after a few hours (long latency), during which the body had time to absorb harmful substances. The mushrooms purchased are controlled and safe but those collected by yourself could be toxic, poisonous (about 30 species cause damage to the liver and non-lethal kidneys) o deadly poisonous (5-6 species including theAmanita phalloides). In these cases the rapidity of the intervention is very important: you must contact the emergency room or a poison control center immediately, taking with you the leftovers from the meal and the mushrooms he concludes.

Marina Cella,
6 September 2016
updated September 2019
by Carola Traverso Saibante

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