Foreign bodies in dried mushrooms marketed in Italy

The presence of foreign bodies in mushroomsaffects their marketability and may result in health risks to consumers. The inspection of fresh or dried mushroomstoday is very important in view of the increased consumption of this kind of food. Ten samples of dried mushroomscollected in supermarkets were examined for evidence of entomologicalcontamination by macro and microscopic analytical methods, the so-called filth-test . A total of 46 determinations, comprising 15 g of the vegetable matrix, were made. The microscopic filth test consistently detected an irregular distribution of physical contaminants following repeated determinations of the same sample. Visual examination, on the other hand, was not sufficient to ensure a product free of contaminants.