Determination of Arsenic Species in Ophiocordyceps sinensis from Major Habitats in China by HPLC-ICP-MS and the Edible Hazard Assessment.

This study sought to determine the concentration and distribution of arsenic (As) species in Ophiocordyceps sinensis ( O. sinensis ), and to assess its edible hazard for long term consumption. The total arsenic concentrations, measured through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), ranged from 4.00 mg/kg to 5.25 mg/kg. As determined by HPLC-ICP-MS, the most concerning arsenic species&mdash;AsB, MMAV , DMAV , AsV , and AsШ &mdash;were either not detected (MMAV and DMAV ) or were detected as minor As species (AsB: 1.4⁻2.9%; AsV : 1.3⁻3.2%, and AsШ : 4.1⁻6.0%). The major components were a cluster of unknown organic As (uAs) compounds with AsШ , which accounted for 91.7⁻94.0% of the As content. Based on the H₂O₂ test and the chromatography behavior, it can be inferred that, the uAs might not be toxic organic As. Estimated daily intake ( EDI) , hazard quotient ( HQ ), and cancer risk ( CR ) caused by the total As content; the sum of inorganic As (iAs) and uAs, namely i+uAs; and iAs exposure from long term O. sinensis consumption were calculated and evaluated through equations from the US Environmental Protection Agency and the uncertainties were analyzed by Monte-Carlo Simulation (MCS). EDI total As and EDI i+uAs are approximately ten times more than EDI iAs ; HQ total As and HQ i+u As > 1 while HQ i As < 1; and CR total As and CR i+uAs > 1 &times; 10&minus;4 while CR iAs < 1 &times; 10&minus;4 . Thus, if the uAs is non-toxic, there is no particular risk to local consumers and the carcinogenic risk is acceptable for consumption of O. sinensis because the concentration of toxic iAs is very low.