A field-based investigation of simple phenol variation in Australian <i>Agaricus xanthodermus</i>

<i>Agaricus xanthodermus</i> and other species of the yellow-staining section <i>Xanthodermatei</i> are responsible for mushroom-related poisoning cases that require treatment. However, longstanding anecdotal evidence indicates that this species appears to exhibit considerable variation in toxicity, resulting in gastrointestinal irritation of varying severity in most cases. We quantified the amount of phenol, hydroquinone, and catechol in mushrooms using a novel protocol for gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and investigated their levels in different basidiomatal structures, different developmental stages, and on different nutritional substrates. Phenol concentration was greater in the pileus than the stipe, in mature compared with immature basidiomata, and in basidiomata occurring in woody mulch versus lawns. Variation in toxicity is suggested to be due in part to variation in phenol concentration, developmental stage and tissue type consumed, and substrate. Variation in human sensitivity to simple phenols may also play a role but was not formally investigated in this study.黄染组（Xanthodermatei）的黄孢蘑菇（Agaricus xanthodermus）及其他相关物种，是导致需就医的蘑菇中毒案例的主要元凶。然而，长期积累的传闻证据表明，该类群的毒性存在显著变异，多数情况下会引发程度不等的胃肠道刺激反应。本研究采用全新的气相色谱-质谱联用（GC-MS）实验方案，对蘑菇样本中的苯酚、对苯二酚与邻苯二酚含量进行了定量分析，并检测了不同子实体结构、不同发育阶段以及不同营养基质下的上述三类物质水平。研究发现，苯酚含量在菌盖中高于菌柄，在成熟子实体中高于未成熟个体，且生长在木质覆盖物中的子实体苯酚含量高于草坪生境下的个体。本研究推测，毒性变异部分源于苯酚浓度、发育阶段、食用组织类型以及营养基质的差异。此外，人类对简单苯酚类物质的敏感性差异或许也起到了一定作用，但本研究未对此展开正式探究。