PLP 150C1 1st Edition Lecture 13 Outline of Last Lecture I. Growing fungiII. PoisonA. AmatoxinsIII. Mushroom collectingOutline of Current Lecture I. Toxigenic fungiII. AflatoxinIII. Mushrooms & ReligionA. AmanitaB. PsilocybeCurrent LectureAlbert Hoffman - First “acid trip”. Was studying these compounds and accidentally absorbed some through his skin. • Discovered lysergic acid diethylamide, and synthesized it.• Commonly referred to as LSD. Thought of as a portal to enhanced awareness.Toxigenic fungi• Health effects: Acute of chronic toxicity. Mutagenic/carcinogenic/teratogenic properties.• Exposure: Differential occurrence in food or feed, by region, and by agricultural practices.• International transportation resulting in year-round supply of fresh produce.• Mechanical harvesting of traditionally hand-harvested produce for canning or beverage production can lead to less visual inspection.Ecology of toxins• Some have phytotoxic properties.• Most have antimicrobial properties, that can crippled a plant.Aflatoxin in our food• More than 100k turkeys randomly died. - Turkey X disease. Along with ducks and pheasants.• Survey showed that they were related to a common feed source.• Found in dry foods like grains and nuts. Can be concentrated in milk.• Aflatoxin contamination is an important issue regarding feed for animalsFumonisins• Mycotoxins made by Fusarium vericillioides.• Commonly produced in corn and grain products.Other important ones• Ochratoxin in grape juice and wine• Patulin in apples and apple juice• Citrinin in grains• Alternariol in tomato products• Vomitoxin in grains• Trichothecene in grains◦ These are all ascomycetesMUSHROOMS & RELIGIONThere are really only two genera of mushrooms that play a role in spiritual experience: Amanita and Psilocybe.Amanita muscaria - The fly agaric• Northern hemisphere in temperate and boreal forests, but has been introduced to the southern hemisphere.• It’s a mycorrhizal fungus.• One of the most easily recognized, world-wide.• A few subspecies with slightly different cap color.• Poisonous, but deaths are extremely rare.• Psychoactive properties, and can be eaten without bad effects if properly prepared.• Can be eaten raw, dried, or in a tea.• The active ingredients are excreted out in urine, relatively unchanged.• Magic mushrooms are known as entheogens.Psilocybe - for spirituality and medicine• Over 20 species• Morphologically and taxonomically similar to the poisonous mushrooms in the genus Galerina.• Be careful while picking them up.• It’s a “Schedule 1