Accumulation of HT-2 toxin from contaminated mushroom compost by edible <i>Agaricus bisporus</i>

Wheat straw is commonly used as a cellulose source in mushroom compost and could be a secondary source of mycotoxin contamination in the food chain. We cultivated edible <i>Agaricus bisporus</i> and <i>Pleurotus ostreatus</i> on T-2/HT-2 artificially-contaminated mushroom compost and developed and in-house validated an UHPLC-MS/MS method for determination of T-2, HT-2, T2-triol and T2-tetraol in mushroom compost and mushroom basidiocarp. A rapid phase I metabolization of T-2 and HT-2 in mushroom compost was observed. In <i>Agaricus bisporus</i>, basidiocarps 8–15 µg kg⁻¹ accumulation of HT-2 calculated on wet weight was measured. No detectable mycotoxins were found in <i>Pleurotus ostreatus</i> basidiocarp.