Nammex, the premier North American supplier of Certified Organic Functional Mushroom Extracts, is proud to announce the publication of their research article, Comparative Study of Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) Dietary Supplements Using Complementary Analytical Techniques, in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. In this study, the authors establish a multi-analytical framework to identify authentic chaga canker and assess the quality of commercial dietary supplement products.
Chaga is a fungal product, but not technically a mushroom. Chaga is the common name for the sterile canker that forms on birch trees (Betula spp.) as the tree’s response to infection by a pathogenic fungus, Inonotus obliquus. Chaga is rich in antioxidants, and has immune and cardiovascular support properties, among other health benefits. As consumer demand for chaga-based supplements rises, concerns have emerged over quality control, mislabeling, and authenticity. A major issue is the misrepresentation of mycelium fermented grain products as authentic chaga, despite their fundamental differences in composition.
As the study highlights, “[a]uthentic chaga canker was characterized by high melanin content, a high β-glucan to α-glucan ratio, and unique triterpenoid and phenolic profiles. In contrast, fermented grain products contained significant starch and α-glucans, lacked key triterpenoids, and exhibited metabolic profiles closely resembling their grain substrates rather than chaga canker. These findings emphasize a need for rigorous analytical verification to prevent misrepresentation in the marketplace.”
This study demonstrates the utility of robust analytical methods for authenticating fungal-based dietary supplements and detecting misrepresented products. Nammex’s scientific team identified critical chemical markers that distinguish wildcrafted chaga canker from both mycelium fermented grain products and pure mycelium. These methods can assist in the proper labeling of mushroom and other fungal-based dietary supplements.
Nammex has been a pioneer in the adoption and evolution of beta-glucan and secondary metabolite testing for mushrooms and fungal products. Recently, the Nammex-developed HPTLC identity method was adopted by Eurofins, with interest from other labs to do the same. As the industry continues to call for more analytical methods, the company will continue to be supportive and collaborative to those scientific efforts. This paper is open access to share the work freely with those interested in mushroom and fungi science.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(7), 2970; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26072970
Innovations in Food (& Beverage) Technology is a quarterly magazine distributed globally both in Print and Digital formats. www.innovationsfood.com. Twitter: @Innovfoodtech. Instagram: @innovationsinfoodtechnology. Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/terry-prior52
