Nutrient boosted liquid mushrooms set for Russian debut
Marketing manager Maria Nikolaeva told NutraIngredients years of research and development work on the patented process were about to reach market with the launch of a liquid mushroom supplement "in Europe in 1-3 months."
“Russia will be our first point of launch because our consumer research indicates the people there are more open to new products like these,” Nikolaeva said. “But other European countries will follow and we have also been having conversations with companies in the Middle East.”
The supplements come in boxes of 36 containing shiitake, maitake and flammulina mushrooms and are said to be beneficial for anti-ageing, diabetes and immunity.
“We have worked with a consultant on the marketing and claims,” she said, noting the process could increase yields, “by 100-350% depending on the type of mushroom in comparison with existing techniques.”
Novel Foods
Although the extraction process alters the constitution of the mushrooms, the products do not require European Union Novel Foods approval because the mushrooms themselves are already approved for use across the bloc.
“We are not going through Novel Foods as the mushrooms are already commonly used,” she said.
Norwegian comany GlycaNova Norge did use that route in 2010 where its liquidised shiitake mushroom version was deemed safe for use in the European union, but the process involved isolating a particular shiitake extract.
That extract, Lentinex, contained 98% of water and 2% of dry matter with lentinan (beta-glucan 1g/L), free glucose and N-containing constituents (proteins and amino acids) and was OK’d for use in food supplements, yoghurts, soft drinks, cooked and processed foods and baked goods.
For Bio-Ur, the medical channel will be one focus, Nikolaeva said, along with pharmacies and health food stores and the company was set to exhibit at Vitafoods Europe 2012.
