How to Make Mushroom Extracts
Why is extraction needed?
In order to get the most out of functional mushrooms, an extraction process is required. This is because our bodies are unable to break down and absorb all the nutrients and beneficial compounds in raw or cooked mushrooms.
The beneficial compounds we are trying to make more accessible for our bodies tend to either be water soluble (e.g B-glucans in Lion’s Mane and Turkey Tail) or alcohol soluble (e.g Triterpenes in Lion’s Mane) - some only dissolve in water and others only dissolve in alcohol. If you were to cook the mushrooms you would get some of the water soluble compounds but none of the alcohol soluble compounds. Therefore, mushroom extraction is needed to maximise the availability of these beneficial compounds to our bodies.
What does dual extraction mean?
Dual extraction means using 2 different methods/solvents to extract distinct compounds. Many functional mushroom producers carry out a dual extract on the same mushroom material. However, we believe this reduces the quality and so we carry out our alcohol and hot-water extract on separate batches of mushroom material. This is because using the same material for both extraction methods can reduce potency and damages beneficial compounds. If carrying out a hot water extract followed by an alcohol extract as most do, heat above 60°C will damage alcohol soluble triterpenes before they are extracted. Using an alcohol extract followed by hot water extract will reduce the number of long chain B-glucan polysaccharides that provide immunity and microbiome benefits. For Turkey Tail extracts, we just use the hot water method as this prioritizes long chain polysaccharides that we want for their benefits to immunity and microbiome.
How do mushrooms get extracted?
Preparing our fruit body and mycelium
The process starts with some freshly grown mushrooms (if you’re looking to grow your own, check out our easy to use grow kits). Immediately after harvesting, the mushrooms are dried in a dehydrator (set at 50°C). The dried mushrooms are then ground to a powder - this material is now ready for the extraction process. For the mycelium portion of the extract, we grow Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail or Reishi mycelium on sterilised organic Rye grain (locally sourced). We inoculate under clean conditions using our stored mushroom cultures (our Turkey Tail culture is from a locally cloned mushroom). We wait until the mycelium has strongly colonised the entire substrate. Once fully colonise, the mycelium is then dried, powdered and ready for extraction.
We use a 50:50 ratio of fruit body and mycelium in our mushroom extract products (find out why this is important here). Turning the mushroom material into powder before extraction increases the surface area of the material, allowing for a more effective extraction. It is best to dry and extract mushrooms quickly after harvesting to avoid losing any of the beneficial compounds. .
The alcohol extraction process
We use vodka for our extraction. Higher strength alcohol can be used, but, in order to maximise antioxidant content, 30-40% alcohol is best. If the end product is Lion’s Mane powder rather than a tincture, then less precision is needed when measuring the dried mushroom to alcohol ratio. In a mason jar with sealable lid, completely cover the dried mushroom material with alcohol and leave 2-5cm of liquid above it.
This mixture is stored in a warm (18-20°C) dark room for 6 weeks. Shake the mixture regularly to help the extraction.
Once finished, the mixture is spread onto trays in the dehydrator which evaporates off the alcohol and creates a dried powder. This looks similar to the starting powder except now, all the alcohol soluble beneficial compounds are separated out of the hard to digest mushroom cells.
The hot-water extraction process
Using a different batch of dried mushroom material, jars are filled with mushroom material and water. This is then set to soak in a hot water bath for 10 hours. The Ideal temperature is between 70-80°C. This provides enough heat to extract B-glucans and maximises antioxidant content which has been shown to decrease in temperatures above 100°C. The temperature is checked regularly with an infrared thermometer.
Once complete, spread the hot water extracted mushroom paste onto a tray for dehydration.
Final product
This process produces an alcohol extracted and a hot water extracted fruit body/mycelium mushroom powder, combine these two powders together in a 50:50 ratio. This gives us a dual extract, full spectrum functional mushroom extract powder.
The final step is to encapsulate the powder to make daily consumption of the beneficial mushroom extract easy! Two capsules of Lion’s Mane extract provides 1.5 grams of high strength extract, all grown and processed on site for maximum freshness and bioavailability.
Why we use these extraction methods
Separating material for each extraction maximises beneficial compounds of interest
Consuming extract powder provides beneficial fibre compared to liquid extract
Encapsulating the extract provides easy consumption of the correct dose with no preparation and no taste interference. Consuming daily provides maximum health benefit
