Agaricus blazei mushroom
The mushroom sold as Agaricus blazei is a cultivated Agaricus with an almond scent, grown on compost much like the button mushroom, mainly in Brazil, China and Japan. Its correct name is now given as Agaricus subrufescens, and suppliers use both names. Ingredient forms are dried fruiting body powder, hot-water extracts of the fruiting body with a declared beta-glucan percentage, and mycelium grown on grain or in liquid culture.
Suppliers sell different products under the same name. Specify the one you need.
Dried Agaricus subrufescens fruiting bodies milled to a powder, with nothing extracted or concentrated. Sold by mesh size; polysaccharide content is whatever the raw mushroom carries.
Fruiting bodies extracted in hot water, concentrated and spray dried, usually sold with a minimum beta-glucan or polysaccharide percentage and a declared extract ratio.
A water extract combined with an ethanol extract of the same material, for products that want both water-soluble polysaccharides and alcohol-soluble compounds. Residual ethanol belongs on the COA.
Mycelium grown on a grain substrate such as oats or rice and dried with the substrate. The grain stays in the powder, so starch is high and beta-glucan is lower than in fruiting body material.
Compare each result with your own specification when the lot arrives.
Keep powders and extracts sealed in lined fiber drums or foil bags in a cool, dry place away from light. Hot-water extracts are hygroscopic and cake when exposed to humid air, so reseal opened containers promptly. Shelf life or a retest date comes from the supplier's specification, and the glucan assay is usually repeated at retest.
Beta-glucan, alpha-glucan and metals, especially cadmium, vary with strain, compost and harvest, so check each lot's COA against your specification. Record the botanical name the supplier uses, whether the lot is fruiting body or mycelium, and the extract ratio.
Facts from regulators and standards bodies, each linked to its source.
Health Canada's Mushrooms natural health product monograph lists Agaricus blazei (himematsutake) with cultured mycelium, fruiting body and mycelium as the permitted parts.
Source: webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca (opens in a new tab)The EU Novel Food status Catalogue says the mushrooms previously named Agaricus blazei Murrill are Agaricus subrufescens Peck (POL-NF-14703).
Source: ec.europa.eu (opens in a new tab)In that EU entry the fruiting body is listed as not novel in food, while dehydrated mycelium powder is considered a novel food.
Source: ec.europa.eu (opens in a new tab)This is general information, not regulatory advice. Status differs by country and by how the ingredient is used, so check the rules for your product and market.
Manufacturers and distributors whose own websites say they sell it.
Manufacturer · San Jose, CA
Draco Natural Products is a San Jose, California, maker of powdered botanical and mushroom extracts, including certified organic and traditional Chinese herb extracts, with an office in Shanghai.
Suppliers are in alphabetical order and none pays to appear. Each claim is checked against the supplier’s own website on the date shown. Ask for the specification sheet and a recent COA before you order, and confirm details with the supplier.
Common forms include fruiting body powder, hot-water extract, dual extract and mycelium on grain. Ask each supplier for the specification sheet of the exact grade they quote.
Expect identity, beta-glucan and alpha-glucan (enzymatic), heavy metals, microbiology, pesticide residues and physical tests, each with its method, specification and result for that lot.
Keep powders and extracts sealed in lined fiber drums or foil bags in a cool, dry place away from light. Hot-water extracts are hygroscopic and cake when exposed to humid air, so reseal opened containers promptly. Shelf life or a retest date comes from the supplier's specification, and the glucan assay is usually repeated at retest.
Health Canada's Mushrooms natural health product monograph lists Agaricus blazei (himematsutake) with cultured mycelium, fruiting body and mycelium as the permitted parts. The EU Novel Food status Catalogue says the mushrooms previously named Agaricus blazei Murrill are Agaricus subrufescens Peck (POL-NF-14703). In that EU entry the fruiting body is listed as not novel in food, while dehydrated mycelium powder is considered a novel food.
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