Eight myths about the definition of poisonous mushrooms

There are a lot of misconceptions in the people connected with the definition of mushroom toxicity. However, contrary to the statements of some "experts", there are no simple ways to determine poisonous fungi. In order not to poison yourself, one must critically treat a whole series of false, but very common principles for determining the edibility of fungi.

1. All young mushrooms are edible.

The opinion that all mushrooms at a young age are suitable for eating is erroneous. Pale toadstool is deadly poisonous both in young and mature age. A reliable way to identify poisonous mushrooms is to know them in the "face".If you have any doubts, you need to discard the mushrooms.

One of the most dangerous fungal poisons is phalloidin, which is especially abundant( almost to 10 mg) in pale toadstool. By force of influence on the body, experts equate phalloidin to snake venom. If a person gets about 20 mg of this substance, a lethal outcome is possible.

2. A silver spoon( coin), dropped into the broth of mushrooms, turns black if there are poisonous

among them. In fact, silver darkens under the influence of amino acids containing sulfur. Such amino acids are found in both poisonous and edible fungi. There are a number of poisonous fungi in which sulfur-containing amino acids are absent, so the silver used for the test will not blacken.

3. The onions or garlic heads are brewed with their compatible cooking with mushrooms, among which there are poisonous

Many housewives during the boiling specially conduct preliminary testing for the toxicity of the fungi: add the onion head or a few cloves of garlic. Such attempts to determine the presence of toxic fungi in collection are useless. The fact is that the stirring of garlic or onions is caused by an enzyme called tyrosinase. However, this enzyme is found in both edible and poisonous mushrooms. At the same time, some toxic fungi do not contain tyrosinase.

4. Toxic fungi and pre-boiling

Some mushroom pickers state that pre-boiling for several hours allows to remove poison from the mushrooms. However, it will not help: most of the most dangerous poisons are heat-resistant and even in boiling remain in the mushrooms. Therefore, even a single fungus that has got into the dish can cause serious poisoning.

5. From poisonous mushrooms the milk

is sour. The statement is not true. Milk sour under the influence of enzymes such as pepsin and organic acids. These substances can be contained( or not contained) in edible, inedible and poisonous mushrooms.

6. Smell of poisonous mushrooms is unpleasant

Odor is one of the properties of mushrooms. In the environment of mushroom pickers( especially beginners), there is often a mistaken belief that poisonous mushrooms have an unpleasant, specific odor, while edible must have a pleasant mushroom flavor. It's not obligatory. So, the smell of edible mushroom almost does not differ from the smell of a deadly poisonous pale toadstool. In addition, different people perceive different flavors, so you can not rely on them.

7. Snails and worms do not eat poisonous mushrooms

Another bike that occurs in the environment of mushroom pickers, says that the larvae of insects( mushroom mosquitoes, flies, etc.), as well as snails do not eat poisonous mushrooms. This is not true, they can spoil poisonous mushrooms, although they do not touch edible chanterelles and Polish mushroom.

8. When poisoning with mushrooms helps alcohol

The most dangerous misconception. Alcohol does not help, but exacerbates poisoning, since alcohol-containing beverages contribute to the rapid spread of toxins throughout the body.