Black fungus is a popular ingredient that everyone loves to eat. As summer approaches and temperatures rise and precipitation increases, black fungus will also appear in large quantities in the wild. However, when consuming black fungus, it is important to be careful as it can lead to poisoning if consumed improperly.
According to the Daily Life and other media reports, a 34 year old woman in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, suffered from abdominal pain after eating the remaining cooked agaric the next day. After going to the hospital for a series of examinations, she found that it was agaric virus. The toxin caused acute liver failure, and she was admitted to the intensive care unit of Dongguan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital for treatment. Unfortunately, because of the high cost of treatment, the woman was taken back to her hometown for treatment by her family. Later, her condition worsened and rescue was ineffective. Unfortunately, she died.
In fact, incidents of poisoning caused by consuming fungus are not uncommon, and occur almost every year. News reports on this aspect are also not uncommon. So why can fungus, a very common ingredient, also cause poisoning and even death? This requires us to understand why the ingredients commonly consumed by Auricularia auricula people produce toxins.
Auricularia auricula is a type of fungus that contains certain nutrients, with a high content of iron and a good taste when eaten. However, there are two states in which Auricularia auricula is not edible. One is fresh wet Auricularia auricula that has just been picked from wood or cultivated plants, because it contains a special substance called “porphyrin”. After eating fresh Auricularia auricula, exposure to sunlight can cause plant induced dermatitis, causing skin itching, redness, rash, blisters, edema, and other symptoms in the exposed area. However, there is generally no risk of life.
Another situation is when the fungus is soaked for too long or left in food for too long, resulting in spoilage or spoilage. If eaten again at this time, poisoning may occur. In this case, Auricularia auricula will produce a pathogenic bacterium called “Pseudomonas coconutum”, which contains a toxin called “rice yeast acid”. Its toxicity is high, and if not very practical, it can cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and even dizziness. It can also cause certain damage to organs such as the liver, and if not treated in time, it may even be life-threatening. This is precisely the cause of the lady in the example mentioned above.
However, the toxin “rice mushroom acid” is not only produced by black fungus, but also by many spoiled ingredients, such as fermented coconut products, fermented corn flour products, spoiled fresh tremella, and other spoiled starch products. This toxin is also the main cause of food poisoning in people.
Are you afraid to eat black fungus when you see this? There is actually no need to think like this. As mentioned above, not only black fungus can produce the toxin of rice yeast acid, but many ingredients can produce it. As long as the ingredients we choose are of good quality and operate according to requirements, there will generally be no problems. For black fungus, do not eat freshly picked wet black fungus, and do not soak it for more than two days before eating. When you want to eat it, choose dry black fungus. Soak it in cold or warm water for 3-4 hours before cooking and consumption. Usually, there will be no food safety issues, and the taste is also good.
