Interest in plant-based and functional protein powders is growing. Future Market Insights estimates that the global vegan protein powder market will grow by more than 7% annually, from $4.63 billion in 2023 to $9.07 billion in 2033. That’s a lot of additional business to capture!

One way to take part in this market growth is with (medicinal) mushroom-based protein powders.

Yes, you read that right: medicinal mushrooms can also be used to make protein powder. However, the protein content of mushroom powder is usually too low to use as a sole protein source. Luckily, it can be easily mixed with other vegan protein sources.

Let’s take a closer look at how medicinal mushroom powder can be combined with other protein sources to create innovative, functional protein powders.

TL;DR: Don’t be scared by the length of the article. You’ll get all the main points by just reading through the headlines:

Why use mushroom powder as a protein powder

How to use mushroom powder as a protein powder

What kind of products can you make from medicinal mushroom powder?

How to position and market mushroom-enhanced protein powders

Why use mushroom powder as a protein powder

If you are new to the topic of medicinal mushrooms, you may be wondering, why you would want to use them as in a protein powder in the first place. Well, for more reasons than one, hear us out:

Medicinal mushrooms are healthy and rarely cause allergic reactions

Mushrooms in general belong to a balanced diet. They contain a variety of essential vitamins such as D, B and C, and minerals such as iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium and potassium.

In addition, mushrooms are naturally vegan and low in fat, salt, and sugar. They also contain quite a bit of fiber and protein, especially in powder form.

It is also very rare to have an allergic reaction to mushrooms. So most people in the world can consume medicinal mushroom powder without any problems.

Medicinal mushrooms also contain valuable ingredients such as polysaccharides, beta-glucans, and triterpenes that could potentially benefit our health. There are a few facts to consider regarding these ingredients and mushroom powder, which we will get to later in this article.

Medicinal mushroom powder contains more protein and other nutrients than the same amount of raw mushrooms

Medicinal mushroom powder contains all the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein of non-powdered mushrooms, but in a more concentrated form.

It usually takes about 10 kg to make 1 kg of powder, if one is using only the pure fruiting body of the mushroom. This means that the powder has about 10 times more protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber than pure mushrooms of the same amount.

Also, by using the powdered form, you can benefit from healthy but otherwise inedible mushrooms such as reishi and chaga, which don’t taste good at all.

How much mushroom protein is in 100 grams of mushroom powder?

The table below shows how much protein is in 100 grams of mushroom powder from our own mushrooms. If you use mushroom powders from different suppliers, the values may be different, but this is how much protein you’ll get from our powders.

From the first glance the amounts might not appear to be enough. But don’t worry, we’ll get to that later.

Medicinal mushrooms fit into several current consumer trends regarding health and wellness

Consumers today are increasingly interested in health and wellness. Functional foods and beverages (foods and beverages fortified with additional healthy ingredients) are gaining popularity as people become more attuned to the concept of “food as medicine.

Of particular interest are products that can help consumers boost their immune systems, manage stress, and bring more focus to their lives. Medicinal mushrooms such as reishi, shiitake, Agaricus subrufescens, lion’s mane and Cordyceps are just a few examples of species that can help consumers achieve these goals.

Medicinal mushrooms also fit into the still popular trends of high-protein and plant-based/vegan diets. Furthermore, according to research, high-protein diets have become mainstream. Even people who don’t consider themselves athletes or don’t who work out several times a week are concerned about their protein intake.

Medicinal mushrooms can therefore be of interest to several consumer segments. Vegans, flexitarians, athletes, young and old, men and women. Basically, anyone who wants to enjoy a (mostly) healthy and natural high-protein diet.

You can differentiate your protein powder products in a crowded market with medicinal mushrooms

The protein powder market is obviously very competitive. And what is one of the best ways to stay competitive? Right, by offering the market something they haven’t seen before.

Adding mushroom powder to a protein powder mix could help you do just that by differentiating yourself from other players in the market. If you act fast.

While medicinal mushrooms are growing in popularity, they haven’t yet reached the mainstream in all food and beverage segments. This means there is still room to positively surprise your customers by offering them an innovative and even trendy new ingredient that will help them achieve several of their health goals.

Convinced? Good, let’s continue by looking at how exactly you can use mushroom powder in a protein powder mix.

How to use medicinal mushroom powder as a protein powder

There are a few things to consider before you rush out and buy 100 kilos of mushroom powder and start selling it to your local gym:

Use medicinal mushroom powder as a compliment to other protein sources

As you could see from the table above, the protein content of medicinal mushroom powders is usually lower than that of other sources or what is expected from (plant) protein powders.

It’s therefore better to use it in combination with other protein sources like hemp, whey, soy or pea protein. Mushroom powder provides the consumer with valuable additional vitamins, minerals and fiber from a natural vegan source.

Use it together with mushroom extract to also benefit from polysaccharides and beta-glucans

The amount of polysaccharides and beta-glucans in mushroom powder is rather low, usually around 1-3%. This is because grinding the mushrooms into powder is not enough to release the polysaccharides and beta-glucans hidden in the chitin walls of the mushrooms.

The human body can’t break down chitin on its own, so it must be broken down for us. This is done through a process called extraction, where the coarse mushroom powder is diluted in a hot liquid, usually water, for a set period.

The end result is a mushroom extract that contains 20-30% polysaccharides, depending on the supplier. So it’s much more potent than powder.

However, most of the vitamins and minerals are lost. The amount of fiber and protein is also rather insignificant because you don’t use a lot of mushroom extract in a single product.

Thus, to benefit from all what the mushroom has to offer, you can use a combination of mushroom powder and powdered mushroom extract in your protein powder mix

Be aware how specific medicinal mushroom species taste like and function as powder

Different medicinal mushrooms taste different, and not all of them work well in a protein powder.

Some, like lion’s mane or cordyceps, have a mild, almost sweet taste that works well in a protein powder and can be easily masked with e.g. sweeteners or (natural) flavors. On the other hand, reishi, one of the most popular and versatile mushrooms, has a very bitter taste that is difficult to mask.

Certain medicinal mushrooms can also have different effects depending on whether they are used as powder or extract.

For example, reishi powder can make a person feel very relaxed, almost sleepy, but the extract usually doesn’t have that effect. Feeling super relaxed may not be the desired effect of a protein powder, depending on when it is taken.

Lion’s mane powder is also often used differently than extract. Powder is often used to treat stomach and intestinal problems, while extract can help improve concentration.

So, just be aware of how different medicinal mushrooms might work if you plan on adding them to a protein powder mix.

Do rigorous testing of the end product to avoid texture issues

We gotta say it: mushroom powder is not 100% soluble in water. But don’t worry, in the end it may not be such a big deal.

Protein powders are often mixed with a liquid, so solubility is obviously important. However, since we don’t recommend using mushroom powder as your main protein source anyway, mixing it with other protein sources shouldn’t cause too many problems.

Just remember to test the final recipe with different liquids and containers, and by letting the mixture sit for a while.

Protect the powders from too much humidity

Related to the issue of water solubility, powders of all kinds are sensitive to moisture. Therefore, mushroom powder should be stored in a tightly sealed package that protects it from light, moisture, and insects. When properly stored, mushroom powder can have a shelf life of several years, depending on the supplier.

Mushroom powder’s sensitivity to humidity also brings another factor to consider: We don’t recommend exposing mushroom powder to high humidity for long periods of time.

An example of this would be baking the powder in the oven in bread dough or protein muffins. There has not been enough research done to determine if the vital ingredients in the powder survive long baking times.

Ensure your medicinal mushrooms are of high quality

It goes without saying (but we’ll say it anyway): To produce high quality and, most importantly, safe food and beverage products, you must use high quality and safe ingredients.

To ensure that your medicinal mushroom products are effective and safe, you need to provide mushrooms that are

• Given enough time to ripen
• Grown under the right conditions
• Made from pure fruit bodies to ensure purity and the right composition of key ingredients
• Preferably organic to avoid pesticides
• Analyzed by accredited third party laboratories

If you want to learn more about what makes a high-quality medicinal mushroom, you can check this article.

What kind of products can you make with medicinal mushroom powder?

Mushroom powder-enhanced protein powder mix is of course the first choice of how to use mushroom powder. But you don’t have to limit yourself to that, because consumers can use mushroom powder to add extra protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals to

• Smoothies
• Pancake-mixes
• Yogurts
• No-bake desserts and puddings
• High-protein snacks such as protein bars, energy balls, etc.
• (Home-made) Ice cream

End notes

Mushroom coffee and cacao powders are everywhere. But have you ever seen a protein powder with medicinal mushrooms? Exactly.

By using medicinal mushroom powder in a protein powder blend, you can bring new, innovative protein products to market that will help your target audience achieve their health and wellness goals.

With medicinal mushroom powder, you can enhance the nutritional profile of traditional protein products and even be a trendsetter. Just don’t wait for others to come up with the idea first.

Sources

nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com/research-shows-boost-in-plant-based-protein-interest
www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/vegan-protein-powder-market
www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2024/02/26/Global-plant-based-protein-supplement-sales-reach-1.12bn
plantbasedworldpulse.com/health-conscious-consumers-and-significant-innovation-fuels-vegan-protein-powder-sales/
www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/plant-based-protein-supplements-market-100082

Sources