Draft standard considered by the Codex Alimentarius Commission
in first reading and now referred to Governments for detailed comments.
EDIBLE FUNGI AND FUNGUS PRODUCTS
Text prepared by the former “European Council of the Codex Alimentarius”, now the “Advisory Group for Europe of the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission”.
I.
DESCRIPTION
General principles
§ 1
Edible fungi are the fruit bodies of a specific plant group (fungi) which grow wild and are sometimes cultivated (e.g. mushrooms) and which after suitable processing (preparation) can be consumed as foodstuffs or delicacies. Because of their structure and chemical composition they are generally very perishable and if they are to be marketed fresh they must be delivered to the consumer as soon as possible after they have been picked. Edible fungi which are to be preserved for some time or made into products which will keep and then marketed in this condition must be treated or processed immediately after they have been picked before they start to deteriorate.
§ 2
As there are edible fungi which closely resemble inedible or poisonous fungi, edible fungi which are to be marketed or preserved or made into fungus products must be carefully examined to see whether there are any inedible or poisonous fungi amongst them, which must be removed. Unless care was taken when picking the fungi to see that only those of the same species were collected, it is particularly important to sort edible fungi into species, before they are marketed, preserved or made into fungus products, as mixtures of different types of fungi are not usual in the trade and also the consumer is entitled to expect fungus products which are not specifically labelled as mixed products (according to type and proportion) to be manufactured from fungi of one species only. However edible fungi of closely related varieties (e.g. varieties of Boletus edulis, round or pointed morels) are always considered as fungi of the same species.
§ 3
In international trade only a few species of edible fungi and their derived products are of any importance. These species are mainly as follows:
§ 4
The types of preserved fungi and fungus products which are of importance in international trade are as follows:
Dried fungi, fungus grits, fungus powder, pickled fungi, salted fungi, ensilaged fungi, deep frozen fungi, fungus extract, fungus concentrate dried fungus concentrate and sterilised fungi (tinned fungi). Only fresh, healthy, properly cleaned and practically maggot free fungi may be used to manufacture all these products. No colouring matter, bleaching agents, artificial flavourings or preservatives, with the exception of common salt and acetic, lactic, citric and ascorbic acid, may be added to any of the above mentioned products. All fungus products must be marketed under an appropriate label on which is stated the species of the fungi from which the product concerned was made; it is particularly recommended that the Latin name be given on pre-packed products. For the labelling of mixed products see § 2. If the labels of pre-packed fungus products, which must always bear the name (firm) and address of the manufacturer, have pictures of the fungi these illustrations must be in colour so that the species of fungus (in the case of mixed products all the species contained in the product) is clearly recognisable. Any details of weight or volume given on the label of pre-packed products must relate to the net weight (net volume) of the contents; in the case of fungus products in liquid (i.e. in particular tinned fungi) this is understood to be the weight of the drained fungi.
Fresh fungi
§ 5
Fresh fungi may only be marketed in a healthy, clean condition and should be practically free from maggots and as free as possible of infected specimens. The sand content, mainly derived from foreign bodies such as earth, leaves, pine, needles, etc. in edible fungi marketed fresh may not exceed 0.5% by weight, but fresh cultivated mushrooms, if marketed as cleaned, may not contain any foreign bodies. Fresh edible fungi must be described by the name appropriate to their species.
Dried fungi, fungus grits and fungus powder
§ 6
Dried fungi are edible fungi whose water content is reduced by drying to a maximum of 12%. In dried fungi the content of substances not soluble in hydrochloric acid after incineration may not exceed 2%. Dried fungi are hygroscopic and are very susceptible to attack by insects (particularly moths) or mites. This should be taken into account in storing them.
§ 7
Fungus grits are coarsely ground dried fungi and fungus powder is a product of finely ground dried fungi. The water content of fungus meal and powder may not exceed 9% and they may only be marketed pre-packed in such a way as to prevent the contents from absorbing water from the atmosphere and from being attacked by insects. Dried fungi, fungus grits and fungus powder may also be mixed with other products, e.g. seasoning or starch, and made into separate products (tinned mushroom soup, mushroom vol au vent, etc.) which can no longer be considered as fungus products in the strict sense of the word and therefore do not fall within the scope of this chapter.
Pickled fungi
§ 8
Pickled fungi are edible fungi which shortly after being picked are appropriately prepared and then soaked in vinegar and preserved to keep for some time.
Salted fungi
§ 9
Salted fungi are edible fungi which shortly after being picked are steeped either whole or cut into pieces in a salt solution (they may or may not have been blanched prior to this) and are thus preserved to keep for some time.
Ensilaged fungi
§ 10
Ensilaged fungi are edible fungi which shortly after being picked have gone through lactic acid fermentation in barrels or other silage containers (silage bins) and thus preserved to keep for some time.
Deep frozen fungi
§ 11
Deep frozen fungi are edible fungi which shortly after being picked are frozen at an average temperature of - 18°C and stored under the normal conditions for deep frozen foodstuffs.
Fungus extracts, fungus concentrate and dried fungus concentrate
§ 12
Fungus extract is a thin liquid extract of edible fungi, preserved by means of salt; fungus concentrate is fungus extract condensed to a viscous fluid. Dried fungus concentrate is the dried product of fungus extract, the moisture content of which does not exceed 9%. The common salt content of fungus extract, concentrate and dried concentrate preserved by means of salt must not exceed 20% for the first two products and 5% for the last.
Sterilised fungi (fungi tinned in liquid)
§ 13
Sterilised fungi (fungi tinned in liquid) are generally fresh or deep frozen raw fungi appropriately prepared and then heated sufficiently to kill any harmful micro-organisms and sealed into suitable airtight containers to become manufactured fungus products which keep for years. Tinned fungus products not made from fresh or deep frozen raw fungi but from pickled, salted or ensilaged fungi must be labelled so that the type of product from which they were made is clearly evident.
II.
JUDGMENT
General remarks
§ 14
Of the many grounds for complaint which might arise from the principles given in the general chapter only those which are typical of the goods falling within the scope of this chapter are considered below.
Injury to health
§ 15
Fungus products are considered as injurious to health particularly where poisonous or rotten fungi are used or incorporated in their manufacture.
Decay
§ 16
The following are considered as being in a state of decay:
Adulteration
§ 17
The following in particular are considered as adulterated:
Deceptive labelling
§ 18
The following in particular are considered as deceptively labelled:
Draft standard considered by the Codex Alimentarius Commission
in first reading and now referred to Governments for detailed comments.
EDIBLE FUNGI
EXTRACT FROM THE DRAFT LATIN-AMERICAN FOOD CODE
Article 620 - The name “Mushroom” applies to the product formed by the fresh or dried cell tissue of acotyledonous plants (basidiomycetes, hymenomycetes and gastromycetes).
Most of the wild growing edible mushrooms belong to one of the following three genera:
1. the genus Boletus: Mushrooms with fleshy caps, brown, dark brown or straw-yellow in color, with more or less cylindrical solid stipes. The underside of the pileus has myriads of pores which are the mouths of tubes.
2. the genus Agaricus: Mushrooms with fleshy white pilei, with more or less cylindrical white stipes. The underside of the pileus has a number of flat, knife-blade shaped parts which are pink at first and turn dark brown later.
3. the genus Lactarius: Mushrooms whose pilei are depressed in the center, with fragile, hollow, orange-yellow stipes.
Article 621 - Cultivated mushrooms, also called “champignons” have in general the same characteristics as Agaricus (Psalliota) campestris, Fr. ex L.
Canned mushrooms marked “Natural Mushrooms” must be prepared with fresh, whole, clean mushrooms in a good state of preservation and water or mushroom broth; the addition of salt, spices, flavors, citric acid, vinegar and ascorbic acid is optional. The cans must contain as many mushrooms as they can normally hold.
Translation by courtesy of the Food Law Institute, New York.
Article 622 - None of the genera of poisonous mushrooms listed hereinafter may be used as food, even if they have undergone special treatments to deprive them of their toxic principles:
1. Amanita: Mushrooms with fleshy caps colored green (Green Amanita), or red with white warts (Amanita pantera), or dark (Fly Agaric or Amanita Muscaria), arranged in concentric circles, with stipes which are at first solid, then hollow, of a generally disagreable smell, especially on the fully grown specimens.
2. Coprinus: Mushrooms with not very fleshy caps and short hollow stipes. They dissolve into a black liquid (Ink-Mushroom).
Article 623 - The fresh Mushrooms sold on the market shall not be fully ripened, shall possess all the characteristics required to identify them and shall be in a perfect condition of preservation, without larvae, insects or worms; each species shall be sold separately.
Mushrooms may be dried and preserved only under official control. Dried mushrooms shall not be divided into pieces so small that their identification becomes difficult or impossible.
Article 624 - The fresh or dried Mushrooms sold on the market shall be neither suspect nor poisonous and shall be in a perfect condition of preservation, free from worms, insects and mites. Dried mushrooms shall be protected from soil and moisture and shall be stored and sold in closed containers made of waterproof paper, tin plate, glass, cellophane, etc. They shall contain not more than 10 per cent hydrochloric acid. Alcoholic solutions of dried edible mushrooms take on a color when exposed to ultraviolet light (Wood), whereas as poisonous mushrooms of the Amanita genus remain colorless.
The sale of mixtures of several species of mushrooms is prohibited.
Mushrooms intended for consumption may be bleached with pure sulfurous anhydride or pure alkaline bisulfides, using for the purpose not more than the strictly necessary amounts of these substances. The use of tin salts to bleach mushrooms is prohibited, even if the mushrooms are thoroughly washed after bleaching.
Article 625 - The name “Truffles” applies to the product which consists of the sporogenous apparatus of several kinds of subterranean fungi. They shall be sold thoroughly washed and brushed, and their labels shall state if they are black (ripe), violaceous black, white or grey (not fully ripened) truffels, and the location at which they were gathered.
