Mushroom supplements often boast high extraction ratios like 10:1 or 15:1 on their labels. At first...
Fruiting Body or Mycelium? Navigating the Mushroom Extract Debate
Functional mushroom supplements typically fall into two categories: fruiting body extracts (made from only mushrooms) and mycelium-on-grain extracts (made from the fungus grown on grains). There’s a heated debate about which is better for efficacy and quality. Below, we’ll break down the pros and cons of each, and introduce BeyondMushrooms as a third option that transcends the usual compromises. Our goal is to educate readers on the differences and show why BeyondMushrooms’ unique beta-glucan focused extracts offer a superior solution for functional food, beverage, and supplement formulations.
Jump to Section
- Option 1: Fruiting Body Only Extract (100% Mushroom)
- Option 2: Mycelium-on-Grain "Full Spectrum" Extracts (Fruiting Body + Mycelium)
- Comparing the Three Approaches
- BeyondMushrooms: A Beta-Glucan Focused Solution Beyond the Debate
- Conclusion: Go Beyond the Debate
Option 1: Fruiting Body Only Extract (100% Mushroom)
What it is: Fruiting body extracts come solely from the actual mushroom (the visible cap and stem). Producers cultivate mushrooms on natural substrates (e.g. sawdust blocks), allow them to fully fruit, then harvest and extract the mushrooms (often using hot water or alcohol). The final product is 100% mushroom-derived.
Pros: Fruiting bodies are rich in active compounds. On average, extracted mushroom fruiting bodies contain 20-30% beta-glucans, the polysaccharides responsible for immune-modulating benefits. They also provide a full spectrum of secondary metabolites like triterpenoids, ergosterol, and other nutrients that mycelium alone may not produce. Generations of traditional use and modern analysis agree that the whole mushroom offers a concentrated source of beneficial compounds (beta-glucans, antioxidants, etc.) without filler. In short, fruiting body extracts are potent and authentic, containing 100% mushroom and no grain starch or other additives.
Cons: Pure mushroom extracts can be challenging to work with in formulations. Because they contain all those extra compounds (like proteins and triterpenes), they tend to have a strong, bitter “mushroom” taste and aroma that may be off-putting in foods or drinks. For example, Reishi mushrooms are rich in triterpenes that give a very bitter flavor. Fruiting body extracts can also be less water-soluble or form cloudy suspensions, many bioactives like triterpenoids are poorly soluble in water, and unextracted mushroom fiber (chitin) can cause grit. Additionally, growing full fruiting bodies is time-consuming and costly (it can take months to cultivate mushrooms to maturity), which makes these extracts pricier. Typical effective doses are often on the order of a gram or more of extract daily, since you’re getting a mix of actives and other mushroom components.
Bottom Line: Fruiting body extracts deliver high levels of beneficial compounds (especially beta-glucans) and have the heritage of traditional use. However, they can be bitter, less soluble, and more expensive, posing formulation challenges for taste and texture.
Option 2: Mycelium-on-Grain "Full Spectrum" Extracts (Fruiting Body + Mycelium)
What it is: The other common approach is using mycelium grown on grain (MOG) as the raw material. Here, the fungal mycelium (the root-like network of the mushroom) is cultivated on a sterilized grain substrate (e.g. rice, oats, sorghum) in a lab or indoor farm. The mycelium colonizes the grain, often binding together into a solid block. In some cases, small fruiting bodies might start to form, but usually the process is halted before a full mushroom develops (or any tiny mushrooms are just blended in). The entire myceliated grain block is then dried and ground into a powder, mycelium + grain substrate together. This powder can be sold as-is or lightly extracted, and is often marketed as “full-spectrum” (implying it contains all stages: mycelium, primordia, and fruiting body, though in reality it’s mostly mycelium and grain).
Pros: Growing mycelium on grain is a faster and cheaper process than cultivating full mushrooms. A batch of mycelium can be produced in weeks, entirely indoors, without the need for the mushroom to actually fruit. This makes MOG extracts more economical and scalable for mass production. They also tend to have a milder flavor and better instant solubility in powders, because a large portion of the powder is actually just grain starch (which is relatively neutral in taste). In other words, less bitter “mushroom” flavor to deal with, since the actual mushroom content is low. The high starch content can give a smoother mouthfeel and easy dispersion (essentially like a flour). For manufacturers, MOG extracts can be appealing due to their lower cost per kilo and ease of blending into products (no intense mushroom taste that needs masking).
Cons: The obvious downside is potency. Because mycelium-on-grain products are largely composed of the grain filler, they contain very diluted levels of active compounds. Analyses show that mycelium grown on grain typically yields only ~5% (or less) beta-glucans, vs. 30%+ in real mushrooms. In fact, one study found mycelium-on-grain “mushroom” supplements with as little as 1–5% beta-glucan and 35–40% starch, essentially mirroring the nutritional content of the rice/oat substrate. Jeff Chilton of Nammex famously demonstrated that many mycelium products “exactly track the nutritional content of grain,” meaning buyers are mostly getting grain starch, not mushroom. These products are low in beta-glucans and other actives, high in carbs. Moreover, mycelium grown on grain has little to no production of certain secondary metabolites like triterpenoids that fruiting bodies produce. So any beneficial compounds like ganoderic acids (in Reishi) or erinacines (in lion’s mane) are largely absent. Essentially, mycelium-on-grain supplements are highly diluted, you’d need to take large amounts (multiple grams) to approach the beta-glucan content that a few hundred milligrams of a proper mushroom extract would provide. Quality control is another concern: some brands obscure the fact they use mycelium and grain, labeling the product misleadingly as “mushroom”. The FDA has labeling guidelines requiring disclosure if it’s mycelium, but enforcement is lax, and many consumers don’t realize their “mushroom” powder is mostly grain.
Bottom Line: Mycelium-on-grain extracts are inexpensive and easy to produce, with a bland flavor and good water dispersibility (thanks to all the starch). However, they are heavily diluted with grain filler, resulting in minimal active compounds, often delivering a fraction of the benefits one would expect from a true mushroom extract.
Mycelium being cultivated on grain (white mycelial threads growing through grain in a bag). In mycelium-on-grain supplements, this entire material, mycelium plus the remaining grain, is ground into powder. The result is a product that is largely the original grain substrate with only a small portion being actual fungal biomass. This high starch content (35–40% in many cases) significantly dilutes the level of mushroom actives.
Comparing the Three Approaches
To summarize the key differences, here’s a side-by-side comparison of Fruiting Body Extracts vs. Mycelium (Grain) Extracts vs. BeyondMushrooms (a novel approach we’ll discuss next):
As the table shows, the “fruiting body vs mycelium” debate often comes down to a trade-off between potency and palatability/cost. Fruiting body extracts give you the actives but can be bitter and pricey, whereas mycelium-on-grain is cheap and bland but mostly inactive filler. Ideally, we’d want the best of both worlds, a mushroom extract that is 100% mushroom (no grain), high-potency, yet water-soluble with no bitter taste. This is exactly what BeyondMushrooms was designed to achieve.
BeyondMushrooms: A Beta-Glucan Focused Solution Beyond the Debate
BeyondMushrooms is our answer to the limitations of traditional mushroom extracts. Rather than choosing either fruiting bodies or myceliated grain, we use both parts of the fungi (mycelium and fruiting body) in a novel way, and employ a cutting-edge extraction to isolate only the most important compound: beta-glucans.
Innovative Growth for Maximum Beta-Glucans
Our mushrooms are organically grown indoors in California using a proprietary substrate that is 100% free of grain. This substrate is formulated to stimulate the fungus into producing exceptionally high levels of beta-glucans. By the time of harvest, the combined mycelium and fruiting bodies are loaded with beta-glucan content far beyond what typical grows achieve. We essentially cultivate an ultra-potent mushroom biomass (containing both mycelial and fruiting body). Importantly, because we don’t use rice or oats, there’s no starchy filler introduced at the growing stage, the entire biomass is pure fungal material (fully 100% mushroom, just like a fruiting body extract, but with the speed and efficiency of mycelial cultivation).
Ultrasonic Extraction of Pure Beta-Glucans
Here’s where BeyondMushrooms really breaks from the pack: we apply a unique ultrasonic-assisted extraction process to this biomass. Ultrasonic extraction uses high-frequency sound waves to break open the fungal cell walls and release the internal polysaccharides. We perform this extraction, and crucially, we then purify the extract to isolate beta-glucan and leave behind everything else, including the spent substrate, proteins, and other less-desired compounds. In essence, the process is:
- Sonication of the combined mycelium + fruiting body mass, which liberates the beta-glucans (as water-soluble polysaccharides).
- Filtration and precipitation steps to separate out the beta-glucan polysaccharides.
- Drying the purified extract into a powder, resulting in a nearly pure beta glucan 1;3 1;6 powder
The end product is a light-beige powder that is ≥70% beta-glucan by weight, with virtually no residual sugars, starch, or proteins. By targeting beta-glucans only, we avoid the bitterness of triterpenes and the insolubility of certain proteins. The powder is completely water-soluble (since beta-glucans dissolve readily in hot water, and our ultrasonic process yields a highly refined polysaccharide extract). It has no mushroom taste; in fact, testers note it’s almost flavorless or slightly sweet, because we removed the compounds that cause off-notes. The absence of protein (<1%) and other compounds is evidenced by the lack of color and bitterness. You get the immune-supporting beta-glucans in a pure form, without the bulk of inactive material.
No Guesswork, Just Beta-Glucans, Verified
We deliberately focus on beta-glucans because these are the most studied and proven active compounds in functional mushrooms. Beta-glucans (especially the 1,3 / 1,6 linkages found in mushrooms) are known to modulate the immune system, essentially “priming” immune cells for a more robust response. By zeroing in on beta-glucans, we can standardize our extract to a very high potency and consistency, something that’s much harder to do when you’re dealing with the full gamut of mushroom compounds. Every batch of BeyondMushrooms is lab-tested with the official AOAC-approved method to quantify beta-glucans (the Megazyme beta-glucan assay, which gives accurate readings of 1-3,1-6 beta-glucan content). We guarantee ≥70% beta-glucan in our Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Cordyceps, and Antrodia extracts; levels far above industry norms. For context, many commercial mushroom products deliver <10% beta-glucan (or don’t even disclose it). With BeyondMushrooms, you know exactly what you’re getting, and you’re getting a lot of it!
What about those other compounds like triterpenes, are we missing out by not including them? It’s true that triterpenoids (like ganoderic acids in reishi) have noted benefits (e.g. anti-inflammatory, liver-protective effects). However, they also come with some caveats. Many triterpenes are poorly water-soluble and can be biologically active to the point of potential toxicity if over-consumed, for example, consuming very high doses of Reishi mushroom powder (rich in triterpenes) for extended periods has been linked to liver toxicity in case studies. Their extraction requires alcohol and adds variability (since triterpene content can fluctuate widely between samples). By contrast, beta-glucans are non-toxic fibers, we’ve verified our extracts have no adverse effects even at extremely high doses (sub chronic 90-day studies up to 2000 mg/kg body weight), confirming a wide safety margin. This safety, along with evidence from over 14 human clinical trials on our specific extracts, allowed us to achieve FDA-notified GRAS status, meaning the FDA reviewed our safety data and had “no questions”. We are proud to be the only mushroom ingredient with this level of safety validation.
In short, BeyondMushrooms extracts deliver what matters most (beta-glucans) in a reliable, concentrated form, and leave behind compounds that could introduce taste, solubility, or regulatory issues. It’s a targeted approach that takes the guesswork and variability out of mushroom supplementation.
Formulator-Friendly: Clean, Potent, and Easy to Use
BeyondMushrooms was created with product formulators in mind, to eliminate the compromises they faced with existing mushroom ingredients. Consider the checklist:
- 100% Mushroom, No Grain Fillers: Yes, our extract is purely from mushroom biomass (mycelium + fruiting body), with no carrier, no fillers, and no starch. It’s USDA Organic and U.S.-grown for total traceability, so you and your customers can be confident you’re getting an authentic mushroom product, not myceliated rice flour.
- High Active Content: Yes, ≥70% beta-glucan verified. This means a potency per gram that is virtually unmatched. Each of our extracts achieves clinically validated efficacy at just 200mg per serving, a level of potency few others can claim. For formulators, that low effective dose is gold: you can pack a powerful functional benefit in a small space, leaving room for other ingredients, or keeping capsules/powders small and convenient. It simplifies your Supplement Facts or Nutrition Facts panel and can cut costs, since a little goes a long way.
- Fully Extracted & Bioavailable: Yes, our beta-glucans are extracted (not just raw mushroom powder). The ultrasonic extraction process breaks down the cell walls and yields beta-glucans in a readily bioavailable form (beta-glucans need to be extracted to be effective; consuming raw mushroom or mycelium without extraction means you might not access those compounds due to indigestible cell walls). BeyondMushrooms gives you the benefit of a hot-water extract (polysaccharides) without the drawbacks of alcohol extracts.
- Neutral Taste and Easy Formulation: BeyondMushrooms is light in color and nearly taste-free. In fact, users often describe it as having a slight natural sweetness (since we removed bitter principles). This is a huge advantage in formulating. You can add our mushroom extract to a coffee, protein shake, bar, or even a delicate flavored beverage without ruining the flavor. No need for tons of sugar or masking agents to cover up a bitter mushroom taste, it’s inherently palatable. Furthermore, the extract is 100% water soluble and dissolves clear in solution, meaning you can use it in ready-to-drink beverages, gummies, or any application without worrying about grittiness or precipitation. Click here to view its color and solubility first hand.
- Validated Efficacy and Claims: BeyondMushrooms isn’t just another mushroom powder with vague promises. Each of our mushroom types (Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Cordyceps, Antrodia) is backed by clinical studies demonstrating real benefits, from enhanced immune cell activity to improved cognitive function. All studies were done at that 200mg/day dose, so you can directly use those results to support claims on your product (e.g. immune support, cognitive support) knowing they are scientifically substantiated. This gives marketing confidence, you can differentiate your product with evidence-based claims, a step above the generic “mushrooms are healthy” statements. Plus, the FDA-notified GRAS status means you have an extra layer of regulatory assurance, which is especially important if formulating into foods and drinks (many large retailers prefer ingredients with FDA-reviewed GRAS).
Ultimately, BeyondMushrooms was born from the mission to eliminate the guesswork and compromise in mushroom supplements. We saw how formulators had to choose between potency and palatability, between authenticity and affordability. By rethinking how mushrooms are grown and extracted, we created a premium, clean-label ingredient that checks all the boxes: it’s 100% mushroom, ultra-purified for maximum actives, and rigorously lab-verified for content and safety.
Each of our extracts (Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Cordyceps, Antrodia) is standardized to ≥70% beta-glucans, delivering a reliable dose of the best-studied mushroom compound. At the same time, they are easy to use (fully soluble, neutral tasting) and clinically proven effective at low dosage. This unprecedented combination of purity, potency, and practicality truly sets BeyondMushrooms apart as the premier choice for brands looking to create the next bestseller in the functional mushroom space. Rather than taking sides in the fruiting body vs mycelium debate, we went “beyond” mushrooms, innovating a third way that leverages the strengths of both while avoiding their weaknesses.
Conclusion: Go Beyond the Debate
The fruiting body vs. mycelium debate has polarized the mushroom supplement industry for years. Fruiting body extracts offer richness in actives but can be unpleasant and costly; mycelium-on-grain offers convenience but with questionable efficacy. BeyondMushrooms proves that you don’t have to choose one or the other. By using modern cultivation and extraction techniques, it’s possible to obtain a truly effective mushroom extract that is potent, pleasant, and safe. Whether you’re formulating a dietary supplement capsule, a superfood drink, or a functional coffee, BeyondMushrooms provides a simplified, no-compromise solution, delivering only the best of the mushroom, in a form your customers will love.
In a market flooded with middling “mushroom” products, BeyondMushrooms stands alone as a next-generation extract. It empowers brands to create mushroom-infused products that are delicious, highly efficacious, and trustworthy. If you want to offer the immune and wellness benefits of functional mushrooms without the baggage of bitterness or filler, BeyondMushrooms is the ingredient to choose. It’s time to move beyond the old debate and embrace a new standard, one where every milligram counts, every sip is enjoyable, and every claim is backed by science.
Experience the BeyondMushrooms difference for yourself, and join us in bringing the sweet, soluble side of mushrooms to the world, no compromises required.