An analytical system to quantify agaritine present in Agaricus blazei, Agaricus bisporus, and other food
mushrooms was established using high pressure liquid chromatography combined with mass-spectroscopy
(HPLC–MS). Water extracts from dried, homogenised mushrooms were kept at differing temperatures
for defined periods to investigate the heat-stability of agaritine. Homogenates were then
freeze-dried, and agaritine was extracted using methanol. After evaporation of methanol, agaritine levels
were analysed by HPLC–MS. A. bisporus contained 341 ± 32 lg/g agaritine, and A. blazei contained 22–
57 lg/g agaritine. While pure agaritine in H2O solution was heat-unstable and decomposed exponentially
at 120 C, agaritine in Agaricus water extracts was partially heat stable, and 20–50% of agaritine remained
after 120 min at 120 C. Thus agaritine, a known carcinogen, is likely to be present in Agaricus extracts
sold as nutritional supplements. Therefore, a method was developed that can be used to remove agaritine
from water extracts in order to prevent health risk. Agaritine was successfully removed from Agaricus
water extracts by ethanol fractionation.