our approach
Mushroom supplements demand precision.
Our commitment to functional mushrooms involves rigorous research and collaboration with international experts. We create innovative, evidence-based mushroom supplements that support wellness.
Rooted in nature. Refined by Science.
Cultivation Excellence and Strain Selection
Our functional mushrooms thrive in carefully chosen regions renowned for their purity and ideal climates, such as China, Japan, Malaysia, Siberia, and Mongolia. We meticulously select strains prized for their wellness benefits and continually refine substrates. From organic sawdust and wheat bran for Lion’s Mane to natural wood logs for Reishi, our approach ensures the cultivation of larger, more potent fruiting bodies.
Research, Validation, and Farm Selection
Our mushroom extracts are cultivated based on extensive research and scientific validation, collaborating with top experts and institutions to ensure the highest quality and effectiveness. Careful farm and region selection is integral to our process, sourcing Chaga from the Siberian forests and cultivating Lion’s Mane and Tremella in GuTian County, FuJian Province, celebrated for its ideal microclimate and traditional expertise.
Extraction Methods
We employ various extraction methods:
- Water Extraction: Ideal for beta-glucans, heating functional mushrooms in water to release compounds. Suited for Cordyceps, Turkey Tail, Maitake, Tremella, and Shiitake.
- Ethanol Extraction: Excels at extracting non-water-soluble compounds; evaporation techniques ensure a pure product. Suitable for comprehensive extracts.
- Dual Extraction: Combines water and ethanol methods for Reishi, Chaga, and Lion's Mane, providing a potent extract.
Extraction Process
The process is as crucial as the method used. Whole dried functional mushrooms are ground into powder and extracted in hot water, ethanol, or both, over several hours. We conduct two 90-minute extraction rounds at 80 degrees Celsius for thorough extraction. Finally, a purification stage increases solubility and removes impurities, a step often skipped by other companies.
Rigorous Quality Assurance
Our quality assurance exceeds industry expectations, adhering to FSSC 22000 standards and ensuring product purity under both US and European protocols. We surpass US organic certification by meeting European standards, with extensive testing for ethylene oxide (ETO), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), pesticides, microbials, heavy metals, and other contaminants, ensuring top safety and purity.
Independent Potency Verification
We conduct independent potency verification to ensure the highest quality of our mushroom supplements. Our testing includes measuring beta-glucans and verifying the absence of contaminants. Reputable labs such as Alkemist, Eurofins, and Helix conduct our testing, ensuring unbiased and reliable results.
Cultivation Excellence and Strain Selection
Our functional mushrooms thrive in carefully chosen regions renowned for their purity and ideal climates, such as China, Japan, Malaysia, Siberia, and Mongolia. We meticulously select strains prized for their wellness benefits and continually refine substrates. From organic sawdust and wheat bran for Lion’s Mane to natural wood logs for Reishi, our approach ensures the cultivation of larger, more potent fruiting bodies.
Research, Validation, and Farm Selection
Our mushroom extracts are cultivated based on extensive research and scientific validation, collaborating with top experts and institutions to ensure the highest quality and effectiveness. Careful farm and region selection is integral to our process, sourcing Chaga from the Siberian forests and cultivating Lion’s Mane and Tremella in GuTian County, FuJian Province, celebrated for its ideal microclimate and traditional expertise.
Extraction Methods
We employ various extraction methods:
- Water Extraction: Ideal for beta-glucans, heating functional mushrooms in water to release compounds. Suited for Cordyceps, Turkey Tail, Maitake, Tremella, and Shiitake.
- Ethanol Extraction: Excels at extracting non-water-soluble compounds; evaporation techniques ensure a pure product. Suitable for comprehensive extracts.
- Dual Extraction: Combines water and ethanol methods for Reishi, Chaga, and Lion's Mane, providing a potent extract.
Extraction Process
The process is as crucial as the method used. Whole dried functional mushrooms are ground into powder and extracted in hot water, ethanol, or both, over several hours. We conduct two 90-minute extraction rounds at 80 degrees Celsius for thorough extraction. Finally, a purification stage increases solubility and removes impurities, a step often skipped by other companies.
Rigorous Quality Assurance
Our quality assurance exceeds industry expectations, adhering to FSSC 22000 standards and ensuring product purity under both US and European protocols. We surpass US organic certification by meeting European standards, with extensive testing for ethylene oxide (ETO), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), pesticides, microbials, heavy metals, and other contaminants, ensuring top safety and purity.
Independent Potency Verification
We conduct independent potency verification to ensure the highest quality of our mushroom supplements. Our testing includes measuring beta-glucans and verifying the absence of contaminants. Reputable labs such as Alkemist, Eurofins, and Helix conduct our testing, ensuring unbiased and reliable results.
92%
of the companies we've reviewed do not display or share their lab results.
Our Lab Tests
Recognizing the unique challenges in the nutraceutical industry, we go above and beyond to ensure the highest safety and potency. Our expert board rigorously tests and continually enhances our mushroom supplements, upholding unparalleled standards of quality, safety, and efficacy.
Heavy Metals
Heavy metals are a key concern, here's why testing matters:
- Why It Matters: Functional mushrooms are excellent bioaccumulators, absorbing heavy metals like lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic, which pose serious health risks.
- Our Focus: We meet and exceed the EU's strict safety thresholds, ensuring our mushroom supplements are safe and pure for consumption.
- Did You Know? The EU's heavy metal limits are among the toughest globally, protecting even the most vulnerable populations.
- Interesting Fact: Regular consumption of untested mushroom supplements can lead to toxic metal accumulation in the body, making our rigorous testing essential for long-term health.
Pesticides
Pesticides can be a hidden danger in mushroom supplements. Here's why our testing matters:
- Why It Matters: Functional mushrooms can absorb pesticides, posing health risks to consumers.
- Our Focus: There are short and extensive pesticide tests. We always choose the comprehensive, extensive test.
- Our Standards: By opting for the extensive test, we exceed safety requirements, ensuring our mushroom supplements are pure and safe.
- Consumer Confidence: Our rigorous testing ensures our mushrooms are free from harmful pesticide residues.
- Interesting Fact: Dual-extracted functional mushrooms can concentrate pesticide residues. Many companies cut corners with short tests, but we ensure thorough safety and purity.
Ethylene Oxide
Ethylene oxide is a crucial concern, especially for functional mushrooms sourced from China. Here's why our testing matters:
- Why It Matters: Ethylene oxide is used as a sterilizing agent and can leave harmful residues.
- Our Focus: Products from many regions, including China, require stringent testing due to its prevalent use in sterilization.
- Our Standards: We conduct comprehensive ethylene oxide tests to ensure our mushroom supplements meet the highest safety standards.
- Interesting Fact: Dual-extracted functional mushrooms can concentrate ethylene oxide residues, making thorough testing essential for safety.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a significant concern for functional mushrooms. Here's why testing matters:
- Why It Matters: PAHs are environmental pollutants that can contaminate mushrooms, posing serious health risks.
- Our Focus: PAHs can form during the drying and processing of mushrooms, making thorough testing essential.
- Little-Known Fact: Dual-extracted functional mushrooms can concentrate PAHs due to the alcohol used, highlighting the importance of rigorous testing.
- Our Standards: We conduct rigorous PAH testing to meet the strictest EU safety thresholds, ensuring our mushroom supplements are safe and pure.
Microbials
Microbial contamination is a critical concern for functional mushrooms. We take every step to ensure our mushroom supplements are free from harmful microorganisms.
- Why It Matters: Microbial contamination can occur at various stages of cultivation and processing, posing serious health risks.
- Our Focus: Functional mushrooms are grown in natural environments, which can introduce a variety of microbes, making thorough testing essential.
- Little-Known Fact: Harmful microbes can survive in dried and powdered forms, emphasizing the need for comprehensive microbial testing.
Beta D Glucan
Beta-D-glucans are crucial for the potency of mushroom supplements.
- Why It Matters: Beta-D-glucans, offer significant immunological benefits. Validating them is essential.
- Our Focus: High beta-D-glucan levels are vital for mushroom supplement potency. Grain-based mycelium products often lack these levels.
- Little-Known Fact: Most mushroom supplements aren't tested for beta-D-glucan content, leading to varying potency.
- Our Standards: We rigorously test beta-D-glucans and have increased our threshold from 30% to a market-leading 40%.
Alpha Glucans
Alpha-glucans can indicate impurities in functional mushrooms. We maintain the highest purity standards.
- Why It Matters: Alpha-glucans are undesirable as they indicate lower purity and quality.
- Our Focus: Avoiding alpha-glucans ensures the purity and effectiveness of our mushroom supplements. Grain-based mycelium products (MOG) often contain mostly grains but are sold as functional mushrooms. These alpha-glucans in MOG products resemble starch in tests.
- Little-Known Fact: Hardly any companies perform lab tests on their products, and those that do often avoid testing for alpha-glucans to hide bad purity.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker's Yeast) can inflate beta-glucan content artificially.
- Why It Matters: This common yeast in baking and brewing can mislead consumers by artificially boosting beta-glucan levels in mushroom supplements.
- Two Forms: Regular Saccharomyces cerevisiae has detectable DNA, while purified Saccharomyces cerevisiae lacks most cellular components, making its DNA undetectable.
- Our Focus: Avoiding both forms is crucial for ensuring the true potency and purity of our mushroom supplements.
- Industry Insight: We've seen notable companies selling "mushroom supplements" with their ingredient list proudly stating Saccharomyces cerevisiae, falsely boosting beta-D-glucan levels to 75%. (Beware)
board of specialists
Given the newness of mushroom supplements in the West, we've assembled a growing board of specialists to continually enhance our offerings, ensuring the highest standards of quality, safety, and efficacy.
Veterinarian - Dr Linda Barker-Singh
Dr Linda Barker-Singh MVB MRCVS is a locum veterinary surgeon who has worked in London for the past 11 years. She graduated top of her class in small animal medicine from UCD, Dublin. She is currently a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Nutritionist - Rebecca Taylor
Rebecca Taylor BSc, MSc, RNutr is a Registered Nutritionist with the Association for Nutrition. She holds a first-class MSc in Personalised Nutrition and brings extensive experience in dietary supplements and wellness to Antioxi's Scientific Advisory Board. She emphasizes using top-quality ingredients to maximise the benefits of their mushroom supplements, ensuring each product meets the highest standards.
Veterinarian Herbalist - Dr. Shelley Doxey
Shelley, a UK veterinary surgeon for over 20 years, runs an integrative practice using herbal medicine, including functional mushrooms. She tutors in veterinary herbal medicine and is a Charter Fellow of the American Association of Veterinary Botanical Medicine.