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Why a 20:1 Mushroom Extract May Not Be Better Than a 5:1

25 Sep 2026

An 5:1, 10:1 or 15:1 extraction ratio can describe part of a manufacturing process, but it does not by itself establish identity, purity, composition or performance.

MUSHEEZ® looks at why extraction ratios should be interpreted alongside analytical testing, fungal material, production method and intended application.

Extraction ratios are one of the most visible numbers in the functional mushroom market.

5:1. 8:1. 10:1. 15:1. 20:1.

It is easy to assume that the larger number represents the stronger or better product.

That assumption is not reliable.

An extraction ratio can provide useful information about how an ingredient was manufactured, but it does not, by itself, establish the quality, purity or composition of the finished extract.

For buyers comparing mushroom ingredients, that difference is important.

What does an extraction ratio describe?Broadly, an extraction ratio expresses the relationship between the amount of starting mushroom material and the amount of extract produced.

A 10:1 extract, for example, may indicate that 10 kg of starting material was used to produce 1 kg of extract.

But even this apparently simple figure requires context.

Manufacturers do not always calculate or report extraction ratios in exactly the same way. In some cases the ratio relates to starting material and native extract. The finished powder may then contain additional mushroom material, carriers or processing aids.

That means an 8:1 extract from one supplier cannot automatically be compared directly with a 15:1 extract from another without first understanding how each figure was derived.

More importantly, the ratio does not tell the buyer very much about the actual composition of the finished powder.

The quality of the starting material comes firstExtraction can concentrate or separate compounds already present in the raw material. It cannot compensate for poor starting biomass.

Consider 20 kg of poorly characterised mushroom material processed into a concentrated extract.

The resulting product may carry an impressive 20:1 ratio.

That does not necessarily make it superior to an extract produced from a smaller quantity of carefully selected, correctly identified and well-handled mushroom material.

Factors that can influence the final extract include:

• Species identity
• The fungal material used
• Cultivation conditions
• Age and condition of the raw material
• Drying and storage
• General raw-material quality

If the compounds of interest are not present in meaningful quantities in the starting material, a high extraction ratio does not create them.

Processing conditions influence the finished extractThe same starting mushroom can also produce very different extracts depending on how it is processed.

Variables include:

• Extraction temperature
• Extraction time
• Solvent
• Pressure
• Concentration
• Filtration
• Drying conditions

These choices influence which compounds are recovered and what remains in the finished ingredient.

One example is the common claim that water extraction cannot recover meaningful quantities of Reishi triterpenoids.

Our own analytical work at MUSHEEZ® has made us cautious about generalisations of this kind.

Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry analysis can identify ganoderic acids in appropriately produced Reishi water extracts.

That does not mean water and alcohol extraction are equivalent.

It does mean that the more useful question is not simply:

“Was alcohol used?”

It is:

“Which compounds are present in the finished extract, and at what levels?”

That moves the discussion from assumptions about process to evidence about the ingredient itself.

A larger ratio does not automatically mean greater potencyImagine two Reishi extracts.

Extract A: 5:1

It has good identity and purity data, meaningful beta-glucan content and analytically confirmed ganoderic acids.

Extract B: 20:1

It has limited analytical information and little evidence about its actual chemical composition.

There is no scientific basis for automatically selecting Extract B simply because 20 is larger than 5.

Yet extraction ratios are still frequently treated as though they are direct indicators of potency.

They are not.

The ratio describes part of the manufacturing history. It does not establish the concentration of the compounds that matter to the buyer.

What should procurement teams examine instead?A more robust evaluation looks at several forms of evidence together.

Identity
Is the material actually the species stated on the specification?

Raw material
Was the starting material fruiting body, mycelium, fermentation biomass, grain-associated biomass or a combination?

Purity
Does the finished powder contain fillers, carriers or other significant materials?
Glucan compositionWhat are the beta-glucan and alpha-glucan levels, and which analytical method was used to measure them?
Compounds of interestAre relevant compounds actually present?
Examples could include ganoderic acids in Reishi or hericenones in Lion’s Mane.

Safety testing
What information is available for heavy metals, pesticides, microbiology and other relevant contaminants?

Analytical method
A result is only as useful as the method behind it.
What was measured?
How was it measured?
Was the method sufficiently selective for the claim being made?

Transparency
Can the supplier provide the underlying analytical evidence rather than only a headline specification?

Why MUSHEEZ® uses multiple analytical approachesAt MUSHEEZ®, we increasingly evaluate mushroom ingredients using complementary analytical methods rather than relying on one specification number.

These include Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) for identity and purity assessment and Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Quadrupole Time-of-Flight (LC-MS-QTOF) for detailed analysis of compounds of interest, alongside glucan, microbiological, heavy metals and other relevant testing.

No single analytical method provides every answer.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance does not replace Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry.

Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry does not replace microbiological testing.

Glucan analysis does not confirm species identity.

But used together, these approaches can provide a much more informative picture than an extraction ratio alone.

Extraction ratios still have a useful roleNone of this means extraction ratios should be ignored.

When clearly defined, they can provide useful information about the manufacturing process and the relationship between starting material and extract.

The problem begins when the ratio is treated as a quality ranking.

A 20:1 extract is not automatically richer in the compounds a formulator wants.

A 5:1 extract is not automatically inferior.

Dark colour, strong bitterness or a dramatic extraction ratio are also not substitutes for analytical evidence.

As the functional mushroom sector becomes more technically sophisticated, ingredient evaluation needs to become more sophisticated with it.

Instead of beginning with:

“What is the extraction ratio?”

A better starting point may be:

“What does the analytical evidence actually show?”