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POLARIS
Israeli firm Mycolivia has developed a range of mushroom-derived health supplements, challenging the thriving market for such products in China.
The start-up firm uses ingredients derived from mushrooms such as reiki and shitake to create supplements offering a wide variety of health benefits. They include resisting the effects of ageing, boosting libido and anti-carcinogenic properties.
In this exclusive interview, chief executive Jacob Cohen tells NutraIngredients the company has conducted extensive work with Chinese companies to understand how they cultivate mushrooms.
He claims Mycolivia now operates higher standards of cultivation than many companies in China. The process involves keeping the mushrooms free of outside contamination in an environment in which factors such as humidity and temperature are strictly controlled.
Cohen says the medicinal properties of mushrooms have been recognised by Far Eastern cultures for thousands of years. However, he says despite many studies, some parts of the world have been slow to embrace this and remain suspicious of products claiming to be virtual cure-alls.
2 comments (Comments are now closed)
not suprising
medicinal mushrooms are cultivated in China and Korea in very high quality, i can tell you that in the area of biotech and mushroom processing the Chinese are good, but not innovative.
you will find that Israel has very good minds in the medicinal mushroom research... surprising, i know but its still the case. also few companies in china specialize on medicinal mushrooms prepossessing alone, most of them buy mushrooms and process them as any other herb, and usually offer also other plants and processed foods, while mushrooms require its own specialty. you can count those Chinese medicinal mushroom companies on one hand, and a short visit in the factories will reveal they are quite uniform, and quite alike.
it doesn't mean Chinese products are not good, but they are not made equal.
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Posted by Sholi
25 July 2012 | 14h17
Surprising..
I would be very surprised if this Israeli firm manages to outclass the Chinese in the mushroom cultivation/extraction business.
I am amazed at the level of perfection the Chinese have in the art of mushroom cultivation. The amounts of money that are invested are amazing as well.
What many people will not realize is the fact that most mushrooms grow in sterile tanks and never develop fruiting bodies; only the nutrient-rich mycelia are used. Free from contamination, grown in a strictly controlled lab-environment.
ISO, HACCP and GMP certification ensure that the end products meets all requirements, including those mushrooms that are cultivated in green-houses.
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Posted by Syds Marra
05 July 2012 | 16h41