By Julie Daoust, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, M2 Ingredients / Om Mushroom Superfood06.03.24
Demand for functional mushrooms and consumer recognition of the benefits they offer, for both human and pet nutrition, has seen explosive growth over the last decade.
Consumers from a diverse set of demographics are looking for ways to include mushrooms in their daily routines to support their health goals. As a result, the industry is developing rapidly to improve mushroom strains and growing methods, as well as how we can best process fungi to support consistent quality and test the finished product to ensure efficacy.
Beta-glucans are only one among a long list of important actives that scientists continue to explore. Each species possesses its own distinct set of characteristics and unique bioactive compounds. These bioactives can vary greatly among different strains of a single species, and based on the growing conditions. Science continues to advance around the breeding, growing, and processing of these species.
Mycelium consists of a complex network of hyphae. This elaborate web penetrates the growing substrate — such as grain, wood, or soil — breaking down organic matter and absorbing nutrients.
The mycelium is one cell-layer thick — and a very porous cell layer at that. Therefore, it produces a lot of different molecules to protect itself from bacteria, viruses, other fungi, insects, etc. and should not be overlooked as a functional ingredient.
Depending on the species, the bioactive compounds in the mycelium can be very different than ones found in the fruiting body; while the chemistry of the mycelium and the fruiting body may be very similar in others.
Mushroom Fruiting Body: The Reproductive Stage
This life stage typically includes structures like gills, cap, and stem. The fruiting body can in some cases have unique bioactive compounds compared to the mycelium, since it is found above the substrate and exposed to sunlight.
The fruiting body can contain pigments that have antioxidant properties and other bioactive compounds meant to protect the fruiting body from life outside the substrate.
Full Life Cycle Mushroom Product: Benefits of Diversity
Utilizing the whole mushroom, including both the mycelium and the fruiting body, offers the full metabolomic potential of the organisms. This “full-spectrum” approach provides a complex array of nutrients and bioactive compounds that work together to deliver comprehensive benefits.
Advanced fermentation techniques have revolutionized the functional mushroom industry. Liquid or solid-state fermentation techniques are used to produce functional mushroom mycelium, a fungal part that was nearly impossible to access using traditional growing techniques.
Selecting the Right Strains: Efficacy and Productivity Implications
With the right strain, growers can ensure a higher yield, optimized chemistry, and efficacy in the finished product. Advances in genomics have provided deeper insights into the genetic makeup of different mushroom species, enabling producers to select and cultivate strains with specific traits.
Metabolomic studies are being employed to profile the biochemical composition of individual strains. By using metabolomic profiling, growers can compare the biochemical output of different strains under various conditions and select the best candidates for cultivation.
The current state of quality, safety, and testing in the mushroom supplement industry is a tapestry of evolving testing methods and evolving regulations. With increasing consumer demand for natural health products, companies are investing in state-of-the-art laboratories and third-party certifications to ensure compliance with stringent global standards.
However, the industry still faces challenges with standardizing testing methods, repeatability, and availability to assess product quality. The call for transparency and uniform safety protocols is driving adoption of more comprehensive testing regimes that encompass a holistic view of quality from farm to finished product.
Ensuring Authenticity
Ensuring the authenticity of mushroom supplements is crucial in a market where consumers are making decisions based on the perceived purity and origin of products. DNA sequencing is commonplace to authenticate the strains of mushrooms. With the rise of sophisticated counterfeits, these methods are indispensable tools in a manufacturer’s arsenal to protect their brand and assure customers of their product’s authenticity.
Combating Adulteration and Mislabeling
Adulteration and mislabeling are significant issues that the mushroom supplement industry is actively combating. The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has issued labeling guidelines for mushroom products encouraging brands to declare growing substrate, carriers used in extracts, fungal parts, and species name.
These guidelines can provide uniformity and clarity for consumers, and strengthen industry’s reputation. There is also growing emphasis on traceability, with companies adopting technologies to track the journey of the finished product.
Preserving the integrity of bioactive compounds during processing is critical in maintaining the efficacy of functional mushroom ingredients. Various techniques such as freeze-drying or low-heat air drying following a steam treatment are employed to ensure that the bioactive molecules are not destroyed while ensuring that the cell wall of the mushrooms are broken to improve their bioavailability.
Extract vs. Whole Mushroom
The debate between using mushroom extracts vs. whole mushrooms in supplements centers around the concentration and bioavailability of active compounds. Both processes must include a method of breaking down the chitinous cell walls, allowing for the availability of bioactive compounds like polysaccharides, polyphenols, alkaloids, and terpenoids.
The term “extract,” to many consumers, denotes a higher concentration of the actives found in the mushroom. However, this process may not always offer the most efficacious finished product. Often, a hot water extraction process is used by functional mushroom suppliers and results in only select water-soluble compounds being extracted from the mushroom. This can work well for some bioactive molecules depending on the desired application but can result in a finished extract devoid of other potentially important bioactive compounds.
Alternatively, an alcohol extraction process can be used that will concentrate different compounds but only those that are soluble in alcohol. Whole mushroom ingredients, on the other hand, offer the full spectrum of a mushroom’s chemistry, and include fibers and other nutrients that offer additional benefits. The choice between extract and whole mushroom can be guided by the desired applications and functional benefit the formulator seeks.
Each step forward in cultivation techniques, understanding of the metabolome of these species, testing method development, and sustainable practices, helps to pave the way for functional mushroom products that provide support for functional benefits delivered with the utmost integrity.
About the Author: Julie Daoust, PhD, is the Chief Scientific Officer at M2 Ingredients / Om Mushroom Superfoods. For more information visit www.m2ingredients.com.
Consumers from a diverse set of demographics are looking for ways to include mushrooms in their daily routines to support their health goals. As a result, the industry is developing rapidly to improve mushroom strains and growing methods, as well as how we can best process fungi to support consistent quality and test the finished product to ensure efficacy.
It’s a Big World
Consumers and leading mycologists alike are still learning about the diverse world of fungi every day. It has been estimated that there are approximately 1.5 million species in the kingdom fungi. Around 2,000 new species are classified every year and many fungi live hidden from plain sight. As a result, a significant opportunity exists to discover new species, new uses, and new functional ingredients for use in human health.Different Fungi, Different Function
It’s easy to assume that all mushrooms have similar benefits. They all contain beta-glucans, soluble fibers that are present in the cell walls of fungi, which can support immune health and a variety of other benefits. However, each mushroom species has unique bioactive compounds conferring unique functional benefits.Beta-glucans are only one among a long list of important actives that scientists continue to explore. Each species possesses its own distinct set of characteristics and unique bioactive compounds. These bioactives can vary greatly among different strains of a single species, and based on the growing conditions. Science continues to advance around the breeding, growing, and processing of these species.
Mushroom Lifecycle & Fungal Parts: Mycelium vs. Fruiting Body
Mushroom Mycelium: The Longest Living Stage of the Life Cycle.Mycelium consists of a complex network of hyphae. This elaborate web penetrates the growing substrate — such as grain, wood, or soil — breaking down organic matter and absorbing nutrients.
The mycelium is one cell-layer thick — and a very porous cell layer at that. Therefore, it produces a lot of different molecules to protect itself from bacteria, viruses, other fungi, insects, etc. and should not be overlooked as a functional ingredient.
Depending on the species, the bioactive compounds in the mycelium can be very different than ones found in the fruiting body; while the chemistry of the mycelium and the fruiting body may be very similar in others.
Mushroom Fruiting Body: The Reproductive Stage
This life stage typically includes structures like gills, cap, and stem. The fruiting body can in some cases have unique bioactive compounds compared to the mycelium, since it is found above the substrate and exposed to sunlight.
The fruiting body can contain pigments that have antioxidant properties and other bioactive compounds meant to protect the fruiting body from life outside the substrate.
Full Life Cycle Mushroom Product: Benefits of Diversity
Utilizing the whole mushroom, including both the mycelium and the fruiting body, offers the full metabolomic potential of the organisms. This “full-spectrum” approach provides a complex array of nutrients and bioactive compounds that work together to deliver comprehensive benefits.
Photo: mariiaplo/stock.adobe.com
Changes in Mushroom Production
Fermentation InnovationAdvanced fermentation techniques have revolutionized the functional mushroom industry. Liquid or solid-state fermentation techniques are used to produce functional mushroom mycelium, a fungal part that was nearly impossible to access using traditional growing techniques.
Selecting the Right Strains: Efficacy and Productivity Implications
With the right strain, growers can ensure a higher yield, optimized chemistry, and efficacy in the finished product. Advances in genomics have provided deeper insights into the genetic makeup of different mushroom species, enabling producers to select and cultivate strains with specific traits.
Metabolomic studies are being employed to profile the biochemical composition of individual strains. By using metabolomic profiling, growers can compare the biochemical output of different strains under various conditions and select the best candidates for cultivation.
Testing and Verification
Current State of Quality, Safety and TestingThe current state of quality, safety, and testing in the mushroom supplement industry is a tapestry of evolving testing methods and evolving regulations. With increasing consumer demand for natural health products, companies are investing in state-of-the-art laboratories and third-party certifications to ensure compliance with stringent global standards.
However, the industry still faces challenges with standardizing testing methods, repeatability, and availability to assess product quality. The call for transparency and uniform safety protocols is driving adoption of more comprehensive testing regimes that encompass a holistic view of quality from farm to finished product.
Ensuring Authenticity
Ensuring the authenticity of mushroom supplements is crucial in a market where consumers are making decisions based on the perceived purity and origin of products. DNA sequencing is commonplace to authenticate the strains of mushrooms. With the rise of sophisticated counterfeits, these methods are indispensable tools in a manufacturer’s arsenal to protect their brand and assure customers of their product’s authenticity.
Combating Adulteration and Mislabeling
Adulteration and mislabeling are significant issues that the mushroom supplement industry is actively combating. The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has issued labeling guidelines for mushroom products encouraging brands to declare growing substrate, carriers used in extracts, fungal parts, and species name.
These guidelines can provide uniformity and clarity for consumers, and strengthen industry’s reputation. There is also growing emphasis on traceability, with companies adopting technologies to track the journey of the finished product.
Post-Harvest Handling & Effects on Mushroom Quality
Processing Methods: Maintaining EfficacyPreserving the integrity of bioactive compounds during processing is critical in maintaining the efficacy of functional mushroom ingredients. Various techniques such as freeze-drying or low-heat air drying following a steam treatment are employed to ensure that the bioactive molecules are not destroyed while ensuring that the cell wall of the mushrooms are broken to improve their bioavailability.
Extract vs. Whole Mushroom
The debate between using mushroom extracts vs. whole mushrooms in supplements centers around the concentration and bioavailability of active compounds. Both processes must include a method of breaking down the chitinous cell walls, allowing for the availability of bioactive compounds like polysaccharides, polyphenols, alkaloids, and terpenoids.
The term “extract,” to many consumers, denotes a higher concentration of the actives found in the mushroom. However, this process may not always offer the most efficacious finished product. Often, a hot water extraction process is used by functional mushroom suppliers and results in only select water-soluble compounds being extracted from the mushroom. This can work well for some bioactive molecules depending on the desired application but can result in a finished extract devoid of other potentially important bioactive compounds.
Alternatively, an alcohol extraction process can be used that will concentrate different compounds but only those that are soluble in alcohol. Whole mushroom ingredients, on the other hand, offer the full spectrum of a mushroom’s chemistry, and include fibers and other nutrients that offer additional benefits. The choice between extract and whole mushroom can be guided by the desired applications and functional benefit the formulator seeks.
Conclusion: The Future of Mushroom Supplements
The functional mushroom market is at the intersection of traditional use and modern science, with a growing body of research underscoring the potential health benefits of these remarkable fungi. The path forward continues to expand, marked by an increasing understanding of the health benefits they can provide, and an ever-deepening understanding of mycology.Each step forward in cultivation techniques, understanding of the metabolome of these species, testing method development, and sustainable practices, helps to pave the way for functional mushroom products that provide support for functional benefits delivered with the utmost integrity.
About the Author: Julie Daoust, PhD, is the Chief Scientific Officer at M2 Ingredients / Om Mushroom Superfoods. For more information visit www.m2ingredients.com.
