Variation of psilocybin and psilocin levels with repeated flushes (harvests) of mature sporocarps of Psilocybe cubensis (Earle) Singer.
Analysis of Psilocybe cubensis (Earle) Singer grown in controlled culture showed that the level of psilocin was generally zero in the first (or sometimes even the second) fruiting of the mushroom from a given culture and that the level reached a maximum by the fourth flush. The level of psilocybin, which was nearly always at least twice the level of psilocin, showed no upward or downward trend as fruiting progressed, but was variable over a factor of four. Samples obtained from outside sources had psilocybin levels varying by over a factor of ten from one collection to the next.
Magic truffles or Philosopher's stones: a legal way to sell psilocybin?
"Magic mushrooms" is the most common name given to hallucinogenic fungi containing the psychoactive alkaloids psilocybin and psilocin. In recent years, fungis' sclerotia, commonly called "magic truffles" have become a form of supply of psychoactive Psilocybe alkaloids since Psilocybe sclerotia are not specifically included in the laws banning the sale, the purchase and the use of such substances and mushrooms containing them. A liquid chromatography -tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the rapid determination of psilocybin and psilocin in Psilocybe sclerotia. Following a simple step extraction with methanol, the alkaloids were separated on a reversed-phase column using a gradient of 0.1% formic acid - acetonitrile s a mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min.. Separated analytes were detected by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in the positive ion mode using multiple reaction monitoring. The developed method was linear over the calibration range for all two substances under investigation, with a r(2)  > 0.99. The detection and quantification limits were 0.3 µg and 1 µg per 100 mg truffles, for both psilocin and psilocybin and the intra- and inter-day coefficients of variation were always better than 15%. Using this method, the presence of only psilocybin was demonstrated in examined Psilocybe sclerotia. The content of psilocybin was found to vary over a concentration range of 59.3 to 167.8 µg per 100 mg of fresh sclerotia.
Bacterial Metabolites trigger Sporophore Formation in Agaricus bisporus
THE beneficial effect of one fungus on another was first reported by Heald and Pool1 and has since been noted frequently. It was soon discovered that the contaminating organism supplied growth factors which the other organism failed to synthesize. Agaricus bisporus produces abundant sporophores in natural soil but not in aseptic environments. This suggests that certain microorganisms in soil trigger the formation of sporophores of A. bisporus. Fungi, bacteria, actinomycetes and yeasts were therefore isolated from the test soil and the role of these in the formation of sporophores was studied. It was interesting to find that only the presence of certain bacteria stimulated the formation of sporophores of A. bisporus. Using these bacteria or their metabolite(s), the production of mature sporophores of A. bisporus was achieved for the first time in aseptic environments.