We list starch as a way to prove that our product is 100% mushroom.
Mushrooms generally do not contain starch. They do, however, contain small amounts of glycogen. Typically less than 5%.
Starch and glycogen are both alpha-glucans.
As per the Nammex report, mushrooms have very low levels of alpha-glucans.
When we do our beta-glucan testing and verify the beta-glucans in the product, that same test also measures alpha-glucans. We use this alpha-glucan number as our starch basis though we know is it primarily glycogen because mushrooms do not contain starch. This saves us from additional testing costs to measure starch specifically when we already know that it is less than the alpha-glucan number.
Starch is a common carrier material that can be found in many medicinal mushroom supplements. It is often used as a carrier in mushroom extracts in the form of dextrose or maltodextrin.
In the case of myceliated grain products, high amounts of starch are present due to the grain that ends up in the final product.
This is why it is so important to measure starch so that you’re not wasting your money on carrier materials or grain. This is also why polysaccharides are a poor measure of quality. A simple iodine starch test can be done at home for under $5 to verify if any fillers are added.
All of our products have less than 5% alpha-glucans as they are made purely from mushrooms without any added of fillers or carriers.