Ingredients of mushrooms

Powders and extract differ in terms of the content and composition of the components. Mushroom powders have a wide mixture of vitamins, minerals, secondary plant metabolites and a high fibre content. Mushroom powder also contains hardly any fat – just between 0.3 and 0.5 grams per 100g.

The vitamin content of the mushrooms differs depending on the variety. Edible mushrooms such as the oyster mushroom or the button mushroom naturally contain much higher levels of B2 vitamins than in many other plant-derived foods. The B vitamins are required in the human body above all to stimulate the energy metabolism as well as to form the amino acid L-tryptophan, the precursor to serotonin. Folic acid is also contained in medicinal mushrooms. It is a further B vitamin that is needed by our body above all for haematopoiesis and the immune system. Ergosterol, which is often referred to as a ‘supervitamin’, is one of the D vitamins and offers a range of protective functions.

Medicinal mushrooms are also suppliers of minerals and trace elements, which the body needs for important tasks such as nerve function and muscle contraction. They also serve as a basic substance for bones and teeth.

The Reishi mushroom also contains especially high levels of triterpenes, what sets Shiitake apart is its nucleic acid complexes.

Mushroom powders also contain polysaccharides. After all, they are the basis of every extract. However, the quantity as well as the bioavailability of these important substances in comparison with the extracts is low. In powders, it is the overall composition, the natural composition of components, that makes them so interesting.

With the extracts, the priority lies on the high content of polysaccharides. The complex and extensive process of extraction released the polysaccharides from the cell walls of the mushrooms and makes them bioavailable. The polysaccharides also contain e.g. beta-D-glucans, which, like other polysaccharides, are the focus of many international studies.

Fibre and other water-soluble substances are lost during the subsequent filtering and centrifuging. From 100 kg of dried mushrooms used, only 6 to 20 kg of extract remains after extraction, depending on the mushroom variety.