Mycolivia develops mushroom-derived health supplements

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.