Nammex will highlight functional mushroom quality and chaga identification at SupplySide Global 2025

Organic functional mushroom extract supplier Nammex announced in an October 8 press release that it will present guidance on various topics at SupplySide Global, taking place October 29–30, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.¹ The discussion topics include sensory profiles, labeling, test methods, and important quality markers. Nammex will be present at booth #6809 with staff who can discuss sourcing and formulation.

Organoleptic mushroom sensory panel: flavor, aroma, and texture evaluation

Nammex will also be able to discuss specific case studies from their report, Elevating Sensory Expectations: A Technical Panel Review of Nammex Organic Mushroom Extracts. This report was created to help formulators, research and development teams, and brand managers incorporate functional mushrooms into food and beverages. The report was a collaboration between Nammex, BC Beverage Technology Access Centre (BCBTAC), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).² The sensory analysis of 16 Nammex mushroom extract samples, including cordyceps, lion’s mane, maitake, reishi, shiitake, turkey tail, and chaga, was conducted on flavor, aroma, bitterness, color, mouthfeel, and overall appeal. It offers a specific, culinary-level analysis of each extract.

Ensuring chaga authenticity: multi-analytical methods for quality control

Additionally, explanations on how to correctly identify chaga mushrooms will be available, referencing the study, “Comparative Study of Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) Dietary Supplements Using Complementary Analytical Techniques,” published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences in March 2025.³ Nammex supplied samples of chaga and produced pure mycelium samples.

As the study notes, chaga compounds are suggested to have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and antioxidant properties along with immune modulation effects. However, concerns over authenticity and quality control have emerged as consumer demand for mushroom supplements has risen. Specifically, the misrepresentation of mycelia fermented grain products as authentic chaga mushrooms has been studied.

Focusing on chemical classes of the samples, the analytical methods used in the study were:

• High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC)
• Liquid Chromatography with Evaporative Light Scattering Detection (LC-ELSD) or Photo/Diode Array Detection (LC-PDA/DAD)
• Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (LC-QToF-MS)
• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectrophotometry
• Iodine-starch assay

Ultimately, the researchers concluded that authentic chaga contained a high melanin content and other unique profiles and characteristics compared with fermented grain products that were noted for containing significant amounts of starch. “Standardized multi-analytical approaches are essential for ensuring product authenticity, consumer confidence, and industry transparency,” they concluded. “This framework can be applied to verify other functional fungal ingredients, setting a benchmark for quality control in dietary supplements.”

Staff will be present at SupplySide Global to discuss differentiating real chaga mushrooms and mycelium fermented grain.

Nammex’s organic mushroom extract innovations: ErgoGold and MycoD2

The line of organic mushroom extracts from Nammex will highlight ErgoGold and MycoD2 Mushroom-derived vitamin D.

• ErgoGold: the antioxidant ergothioneine (ergo) is derived from powder from golden oyster (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) mushrooms. This extract from Nammex also contains beta-glucans, insoluble and soluble fiber, and secondary metabolites. The antioxidant is found in high amounts in some fungi and was previously developed from yeast derived isolates.
• MycoD2 Mushroom-derived vitamin D: this whole food, vegan source of vitamin D is produced using pulsed UV light technology, converting ergosterol into vitamin D2. 60 mg of this extract can supply the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D.

As noted in the press release, Nammex mushrooms are grown using organic practices, processing follows cGMP standards, quality control testing is done in qualified laboratories, and yearly audits are conducted of the farm and factory.

References

1. Nammex. Nammex Experts to Provide Functional Mushroom Guidance at SupplySide Global. October 8, 2025. (accessed 2025-10-13).
2. Nammex. Mushroom Sensory Panel. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6R99hFpmqhzvtEma0h1Zz87ox_97Q8rH6WCIVOCREHPL8Kw/viewform (accessed 2025-10-13).
3. Windsor, C.; Kreynes, AE.; Chilton, JS.; Chioffi, WA.; Krishnamurthy, A.; Ishii, M. Comparative Study of Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) Dietary Supplements Using Complementary Analytical Techniques. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(7), 2970. DOI: 10.3390/ijms26072970