Nammex research clarifies effective chaga analysis techniques for commercial applications

Nammex, a US supplier of organic functional mushroom extracts has published its latest study establishing a multi-analytical framework to identify authentic chaga canker and assess its 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,” highlights Nammex.

The company says one major issue is the misrepresentation of mycelium fermented grain products as authentic chaga, despite their fundamental differences in composition. 

Need for rigorous analysis for chaga

The study published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences, highlights that authentic 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,” the researchers stress.

“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.

Pioneering testing for mushroom and fungal products

Nammex has been active in developing beta-glucan and secondary metabolite testing for mushrooms and fungal products.

Recently, Eurofins adopted the Nammex-developed high-performance thin-layer chromatography identity method 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,” states Nammex.