Drying, Pulverization And Extraction
Drying, Pulverization and Extraction
The meticulous drying, grinding, and extraction processes guarantee the strength and efficacy of our medicinal mushroom products. Precise processing is crucial to preserving the high quality and potency of medicinal mushroom powders or extracts.
With decades of expertise and cutting-edge technology, we have perfected the drying, grinding, and extraction techniques. Our product quality is consistently monitored through laboratory testing to ensure that our customers receive only the purest and most effective medicinal mushroom raw materials.
Our environmentally-friendly drying process guarantees that no valuable compounds are lost during production
After harvesting, the mushrooms undergo immediate analysis by the accredited German laboratory group Agrolab, which tests for over 250 parameters, including heavy metals, radioactive substances, and microbial contaminants. The raw material is only dried once it has been confirmed as free from contamination.
To protect the essential polysaccharides, the drying process is customized for each mushroom type and its unique consistency.
For more sensitive mushrooms, we utilize either sun drying or a milder heat method in traditional drying facilities.
The wooden substrates from the mushrooms are repurposed as fuel in the drying plants, with the resulting ash being used as fertilizer for the fields. Sustainability is a core principle in all our processes, and we make a concerted effort to recycle and repurpose as much of our cultivation material as possible.
The mushrooms are ground using the shell-breaking method to maximize their potency
After drying, the mushroom fruiting bodies are either crushed and packaged for extraction or ground into a fine powder using the shell-breaking method.
As the name suggests, the shell-breaking method fractures every cell of the mushroom, resulting in a very fine powder. This ensures that the body can effectively absorb all the essential compounds.
The grinding process is tailored to the specific type of mushroom. For some varieties, multiple grinding stages are necessary to achieve the desired powder consistency.
Finally, the powder is packaged and sent to our facilities in Austria for final processing and quality control.
Mushroom powder is a concentrated form of the mushroom. For every 100 kilograms of mushrooms, we produce approximately 10 kilograms of mushroom powder.
A gentle extraction process maximizes the bioavailability of the valuable ingredients.
Extraction allows for the efficient and standardized extraction of valuable polysaccharides and beta-glucans from the mushrooms, making them bioavailable to the human body.
This method combines the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with modern technological advancements. It requires expertise since different mushroom species have distinct extraction times and temperature needs.
During the extraction process, the coarse mushroom powder is gently heated for several hours without boiling. This helps break down the chitin and protein bonds surrounding the polysaccharides in the mushroom cells. The polysaccharide content can be controlled by adjusting the number of extraction cycles.
Afterward, the soluble and insoluble parts of the powder are separated. The soluble components are carefully dried to form the extract, while the insoluble parts are reused as fertilizer for the farms.
The extract is the most concentrated form of the mushroom. For every kilogram of extract, 100 kilograms of mushrooms are required, yielding just one-tenth the amount of powder.
Follow the journey of our mushrooms from their cultivation to the final product, ensuring every step is carefully managed for quality, sustainability, and potency
Once ready, the mushroom powders and extracts are transported to our production facilities in Slovenia for a second round of analysis and processing before being sent out to our customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below, you’ll find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about our cultivation methods. If you don’t see your question answered here. Feel free to explore all our FAQs or contact us.
Do the other components of the mushrooms get affected by the extraction process?
A small amount of vitamins and amino acids may be lost during extraction. However, since the polysaccharide content is the most crucial element in extracts, this loss is of minimal significance. This also highlights why both extracts and powders have their value and why it can sometimes be beneficial to use them together.
What are polysaccharides?
Polysaccharides, including beta-glucans, are compounds made up of several glucose molecules and are present in the cell walls of mushrooms. The health benefits of mushrooms are primarily due to the presence of polysaccharides, with beta-glucans being especially significant.