Medicinal mushrooms are versatile to use. They can be used as dietary supplements, taken as powders or extracts, in powder, capsule or liquid form. But they also work very well as functional foods, i.e. incorporated into other foods or beverages to enhance their nutritional value.

The reason we want to talk about this topic, is because consumers are increasingly interested in functional or fortified foods. The concept of “food as medicine”, although often controversial, is becoming more popular.

So let’s take a closer look at this functional food trend and how medicinal mushrooms fit into it, so that you can continue to offer your customers the products they want.

What are functional foods?

There’s no standard term for functional foods, but here’s how we understand it:

Functional foods are foods or beverages that have health benefits beyond their nutritional value. (For the sake of simplicity, we will refer to both foods and beverages as “functional foods” in this article).

Unlike regular foods, which primarily provide essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and energy, functional foods contain additional bioactive ingredients. These ingredients may be found naturally in the food, or the food may be fortified with additional compounds such as vitamins, minerals, probiotics or antioxidants.

These additional compounds can improve overall well-being, reduce the risk of various diseases or even prevent certain health problems from occurring in the first place.

Examples of these are for example:

• Beta-glucans found in oats, which can help to lower cholesterol
• Probiotics added to yogurts or drinks to support digestive health
• Medicinal mushrooms, which have the potential to provide a wide range of health benefits from boosting energy levels, focus and the immune system

Are functional foods a long-lasting trend or just a fad?

Functional foods have gained popularity in recent years as consumers have become more interested in foods that promote long-term health and help prevent disease. And recent research only supports the trend’s growth.

For example, according to Grand View Research’s study of the larger health and wellness food market trends, functional foods will be the largest product category by 2023, with revenues exceeding $285 billion.

The research firm sees this trend, and the value of the functional foods market, only increasing. This trend is in line with consumers’ growing interest in wellness and their desire to manage their health through diet.

As a result, the functional food market is expanding. It offers many opportunities for companies to tap into this new consumer segment with innovative products.

What type of people are especially interested in functional foods?

The most common type of person interested in functional foods is generally health conscious. They may be athletes, vegans, or so-called biohackers who want to optimize all aspects of their lives.

Basically, anyone who is more aware of the importance of a healthy lifestyle could potentially be interested in functional foods. But there are also other groups of people who could benefit from them.

People with health issues

People struggling with chronic illnesses, whether physical or mental, might be particularly interested in functional foods. They could ease symptoms and even aid in recovery.

No food will cure a disease on its own, but a healthy diet will help rather than harm.

The elderly population

As the world’s population continues to age and we live longer, functional foods could also support a long and healthy life. With age comes health issues, so functional foods could help prevent disease and support existing conditions.

Of particular interest are functional food ingredients that can support digestive health and cognitive function in later life, such as lion’s mane.

People with restrictive diets

Functional foods could also be interesting for people on restrictive diets, whether it’s by choice or by necessity.

These individuals may find it difficult to maintain a balanced diet or avoid snacking. Offering them products that help them conveniently and safely get all the nutrients they need, and more, would likely be a relief.

People with hectic lives

Similar to the previous group, people with busy lifestyles often struggle to maintain a healthy diet. For example, juggling young children, a demanding job, elderly parents, and a relationship can leave little time to focus on eating healthily and regularly.

These people may often turn to snacking because they lack the time to shop and prepare meals. Healthy snack options that allow them to get all the nutrients they need are likely to become popular among this group.

Why should you use medicinal mushrooms to create functional food and beverages?

Mushrooms of any kind are part of a well-rounded, healthy diet. They are naturally low in fat, salt, and sugar, and relatively high in protein and fiber. Mushrooms also contain essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamins B and C, iron, potassium, magnesium, and zinc.

What makes medicinal mushrooms especially useful are certain valuable ingredients that are unique to these types of mushrooms. Polysaccharides, beta-glucans, and triterpenes are the most popular.

According to numerous scientific studies, these ingredients appear to be behind the potential of medicinal mushrooms to provide support for various health issues and improve overall well-being.

Medicinal mushrooms also rarely cause allergic reactions when they are of high quality. This means they are organically grown and produced, and tested for any impurities.

Medicinal mushrooms have also experienced a real surge in popularity in recent years, so it makes sense to capitalize on this increased consumer interest. This interest is not expected to slow down any time soon, as medicinal mushrooms fit very well with current consumer trends in nutrition, health and wellness in general.

By incorporating medicinal mushrooms into other foods and beverages, you can continue to offer your customers innovative products that meet their health goals. You can even reach entirely new consumer segments and break into competitive markets with never-before-seen products.

How can you use medicinal mushrooms as functional food ingredients?

Medicinal mushrooms can be mixed with various foods and beverages to create new products. Some examples are:

• Ready-to-drink beverages such as energy, coffee or cocoa drinks, juices or smoothies
• Drink powders for mixing with other beverages, such as water, milk, tea, coffee, juices or smoothies
• Protein powders (to be mixed with other protein sources)
• Snack bars such as energy or protein bars
• Chocolate bars
• “Healthy candy”, such as functional gummy bears
• Bonus: Certain medicinal mushrooms, such as tinder fungus or tremella can also be used as ingredients in cosmetics, such as hand creams or body lotions.

But while medicinal mushrooms can be used in a variety of ways, there are a few things to keep in mind when using them as food ingredients.

Use extract for maximum effect

When using medicinal mushrooms as a functional food, we usually recommend using an extract. This ensures that the product is as effective as possible.

Due to the extraction process, mushroom extract has around ten times higher polysaccharide content than powder.

On the other hand, most vitamins, minerals and fiber are lost during the extraction process. In powder, all of these ingredients are intact.

A blend of powder and extract can sometimes be used to provide the end consumer with everything the mushrooms have to offer, from vitamins and minerals to proteins and polysaccharides. Whether such a blend is feasible depends on the product you have in mind.

Only use an extract if the product is to be mixed with a liquid

As a rule of thumb, if the medicinal mushroom product is to be mixed with liquids, an extract should be used.

Only mushroom extract is completely soluble in water whereas mushroom powder is never completely soluble in a liquid and can form lumps.

However, if mushroom powder is to be used in a protein powder, clumping shouldn’t be a problem if other protein sources are used as well. We still recommend some thorough testing.

Medicinal mushrooms don’t like moisture

Mushrooms are very water-absorbent, making mushroom extracts and powders susceptible to damp environments.

For this reason, we don’t recommend using mushroom raw materials in foods that require high temperatures to produce, as this releases a lot of moisture. An example of this would be using mushroom powder or extract in bread dough or a ready-made cake mix.

At this point, we can’t guarantee that the key ingredients will survive a long bake in the oven. More research needs to be done, but just to be safe, we don’t recommend baking mushroom powders or extracts.

Be aware of how the properties of different medicinal mushrooms affect their use

The nature of certain medicinal mushrooms makes them unsuitable for mixing with certain foods. Let’s take reishi as an example.

The mushroom has a very strong, bitter taste that is difficult to suppress. So it doesn’t work well in products that are supposed to taste sweet, such as drinks or protein powders. A better alternative would be Cordyceps or lion’s mane. Reishi can be added to ground coffee or dark chocolate instead.

You should also be aware of how different medicinal mushrooms can react with the human body. Although the effects can vary somewhat from person to person, there are some rules to follow.

For example, some medicinal mushrooms, such as lion’s mane, are used for their calming properties, while others, such as Cordyceps, can have a more energizing and stimulating effect.

The dosage form can also play a crucial role in determining how the medicinal mushroom works. For example, reishi powder has a calming effect, so only extract should be used if the product is intended to be energizing.

If you’re unsure of which medicinal mushroom could be used for what, take a look at these two tables.

Final words

Yes, we get it, functional foods are not something completely new that has never been done before. But the market has grown beyond cholesterol-lowering butter, and there is probably no stopping it.

A healthy lifestyle is more important than ever. However, it is not always easy for everyone to maintain.

Offering people foods and beverages that can help them get all the nutrients they need and live a long and healthy life in a convenient, yet natural way will never go out of style.

Medicinal mushrooms are one of the natural additives that can be added to other foods and beverages to help people live long and healthy lives.

And, of course, they offer companies the opportunity to reach new consumer segments and increase their market share in highly competitive markets with innovative products.

Do you want to be one of those companies? Just contact our sales team!

Sources

• https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/27004-food-as-medicine-movement-expected-to-gain-traction-in-2025
• https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/health-wellness-foods-market-report
• https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/27116-shoppers-want-protein-clean-ingredients-functional-benefits