Tremella (white fungus) extract powder is a water-soluble concentrated extract of the Tremella fuciformis sporocarp (fruiting body), supplied by Bionutricia as a bulk B2B ingredient. It is a white-to-beige, free-flowing powder standardised to its signature glucuronoxylomannan polysaccharide — assayed as glucuronic acid — and manufactured in Malaysia under JAKIM Halal, FSSC 22000 and GMP.
Quick facts — Tremella (White Fungus) Extract Powder
- Botanical: Tremella fuciformis (sporocarp / fruiting body) — also called white fungus, snow fungus or silver ear
- Form: concentrated sporocarp extract; extraction ratio stated on the batch specification and COA
- Standardisation marker: 10–25% glucuronic acid — the acid sugar of the tremella glucuronoxylomannan polysaccharide
- Appearance: white-to-beige, free-flowing powder; water-soluble; characteristic odour
- Typical inclusion: 200–400 mg per serving, application-dependent
- Quality limits: moisture <10%; heavy metals As <1 / Pb <2 / Hg <0.05 / Cd <0.3 ppm; APC <10⁴, yeast & mould <10³, coliforms <10² CFU/g, E. coli absent
- Clean label: vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free (<20 ppm), no Annex II allergens, not irradiated, not a novel food
- Pack sizes: 1 kg, 5 kg, 20 kg · MOQ and pricing on quotation
- Origin: Malaysia (Sungai Buloh, Selangor) · shelf life 2 years
JAKIM HalalFSSC 22000GMPHACCPUS FDA registeredMeSTINanoVerifyProcess patent MY-188945-A
What is tremella (white fungus) extract powder?
White fungus is an edible jelly fungus whose creamy-white, ruffled fruiting body has been prized in Chinese and Japanese food culture for centuries — it appears in the Shen Nong Ben Cao (circa 200 AD), and its traditional uses centre on nourishment, skin and general vitality. Bionutricia concentrates the sporocarp into a stable, water-soluble powder under the granted Malaysian process patent MY-188945-A (“Process for Preparing Nutritional Powder Extract”, enzymatic + ultrasonic technology), delivering a consistent bulk ingredient in place of variable dried mushroom.
Two properties drive its use in modern formulation: the hydrocolloid behaviour of its high-molecular-weight polysaccharide — a film-forming humectant studied side-by-side with hyaluronic acid in laboratory models — and its heritage positioning as the classic “beauty mushroom” of East Asian tradition. That combination has made tremella one of the fastest-moving concepts in beauty-from-within and skin-hydration product development.
What is the standardisation marker?
The house grade is standardised to 10–25% glucuronic acid — the acid monosaccharide that defines tremella’s signature polysaccharide, glucuronoxylomannan. Published structural studies describe this polymer as a linear α-(1→3)-D-mannose backbone decorated with xylose side chains, glucuronic acid residues and O-acetyl groups (monosaccharide ratio approximately Man:Fuc:Xyl:GlcA ≈ 9:1:4:3), so glucuronic acid content is a rational, assayable proxy for the polysaccharide itself. For buyers who specify total fungal β-glucan instead, assay by the Megazyme mushroom β-glucan method can be discussed as a customer-specific specification — customised standardisation to spec is something we already do across the catalogue.
An honest note on the wider evidence: tremella’s clinical trial base is thin, and we say so plainly below rather than padding it. Its strongest case today is as a cosmetic-adjacent, humectant and heritage ingredient, supported by well-characterised chemistry — not as a clinically proven active.
What does the human clinical evidence show?
Every result below is attributed to the published study — not to Bionutricia’s ingredient — and the material used is flagged in each row, because none of the trials used an isolated extract powder.
| Study | Design & n | Dose / duration | Material | Reported outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ban 2018, J Med Food | Double-blind RCT, n=75 adults with subjective cognitive impairment | 600 or 1,200 mg/day, 8 weeks | Whole fruiting-body powder (not an isolated extract) | Greater improvement in subjective-memory-complaint scores, short-term memory and executive function vs placebo, per the study |
| Li 2023, Nutrients 15:4221 | Double-blind RCT, n=64 (32 per arm) | Daily beverage, 8 weeks | Multi-ingredient formula — 3,400 mg salmon roe + 90 mg yeast + only 56 mg snow fungus | Cognitive-test changes reported for the beverage as a whole; the tremella dose was minor, so effects cannot be attributed to tremella |
| Skin-hydration literature | In-vitro studies (human dermal fibroblasts; moisturising-mechanism models) | — | Tremella polysaccharide / extract vs hyaluronic acid | Film-forming, water-binding humectant behaviour and hydration-related cellular endpoints — laboratory findings only |
| Gut-fermentation literature | In-vitro simulated digestion + faecal fermentation (Food Res Int 2022; J Agric Food Chem 2025) | — | Isolated tremella polysaccharides | Resist upper-GI digestion; selectively fermented by gut microbiota to short-chain fatty acids — in-vitro findings |
| Honest gap | No published human RCT exists on isolated tremella extract powder — for any endpoint. The only mono-ingredient RCT used whole fruiting-body powder, and the skin-hydration evidence is entirely in-vitro. We state this plainly rather than borrowing results our grade has not earned. | |||
Key molecule: glucuronoxylomannan and its glucuronic acid marker
Tremella’s defining constituent is not a small molecule but a polymer: glucuronoxylomannan, a high-molecular-weight acidic heteropolysaccharide. Its α-(1→3)-mannan backbone carries xylose and D-glucuronic acid (C₆H₁₀O₇) side residues plus O-acetyl groups — the acetylation is reported in the literature to be important for its solubility and biological behaviour. The abundant carboxyl and hydroxyl groups are what give the polymer its exceptional water-binding, gel-forming character, and glucuronic acid is the marker our house specification assays at 10–25%.
How does tremella polysaccharide behave in the body?
The published pharmacology is a fibre-like story, and each step below is attributed to its study. In simulated digestion models, the high-molecular-weight polysaccharide largely resists gastric and small-intestinal digestion, hydrating instead into a viscous, water-binding gel. Reaching the colon, it is selectively fermented by the gut microbiota: in-vitro faecal fermentation studies (Food Research International 2022; Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2025) report production of short-chain fatty acids — acetate ~21.5 mM, propionate ~8.6 mM and butyrate ~4.6 mM at 24 h — with shifts toward saccharolytic genera. Short-chain fatty acids are absorbed by colonocytes, and the unabsorbed polysaccharide fraction is excreted. Separately, the cognitive findings of Ban 2018 are a clinical observation on fruiting-body powder whose mechanism in humans is not established, and the skin-hydration film literature is in-vitro. No human pharmacokinetic study exists on the isolated extract — stated plainly.
Note: tremella extract powder is a food ingredient, not a medicinal product. All findings above belong to the cited studies and their specific materials. Finished-product claims are the brand owner’s responsibility in each market; our regulatory team supports customers on Malaysian and export wording.
What can manufacturers formulate with it?
Tremella’s natural home is the beauty and hydration space: beauty-from-within drinks and sachets, collagen-pairing blends, “glass-skin” concept beverages, and skincare-supplement hybrid lines where the same hero ingredient runs through the topical and ingestible SKUs. Its heritage as the dessert mushroom of East Asian tradition also suits premium tong sui-style RTDs, bird’s-nest-alternative desserts and functional confectionery, where the polysaccharide contributes body and a silky mouthfeel as well as the story. On the supplement side it slots into capsules, tablets, gummies, effervescents and greens or mushroom-complex blends that our customers manufacture. Bionutricia supplies the bulk ingredient for B2B formulation; brand owners and manufacturers formulate it into their chosen finished format.
A practical regulatory advantage for exporters: because we sell the ingredient, the food-versus-drug classification question arises at our customer’s finished-product stage, in the destination market — and our documentation pack (spec, batch COA, halal certificate, free-sale support) is built to carry a finished product through that review.
Why supply tremella extract from Bionutricia?
Bionutricia has manufactured botanical extracts in Malaysia since 2006 — 20+ years of R&D and 15+ years of manufacturing serving 239+ brand partners. Tremella extract powder is produced at our Sungai Buloh facility under FSSC 22000, GMP, HACCP and MeSTI, with JAKIM Halal certification on the ingredient, US FDA facility registration for export, and the granted process patent MY-188945-A covering our enzymatic + ultrasonic preparation technology. Every batch ships against the house specification with a certificate of analysis. The powder is vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free and free of Annex II allergens — clean-label positioning that survives due diligence.
Frequently asked questions
What is tremella (white fungus) extract powder standardised to?
The house grade is standardised to 10–25% glucuronic acid — the acid sugar of tremella’s glucuronoxylomannan polysaccharide. β-glucan assay by the Megazyme mushroom method can be discussed as a customer-specific specification.
Is this the same material as the tremella used in the memory study?
No. Ban 2018 (n=75) used whole fruiting-body powder at 600–1,200 mg/day, not an isolated extract. Its results belong to that preparation; no RCT exists on isolated tremella extract powder, and we state that plainly.
Does tremella really hold more water than hyaluronic acid?
Laboratory studies describe tremella polysaccharide as a film-forming humectant binding many times its weight in water and compare it with hyaluronic acid on hydration-related endpoints in-vitro. Those are laboratory findings about the polysaccharide, not clinical claims about this ingredient.
Is tremella extract powder halal?
Yes — the ingredient is JAKIM Halal certified, and it is manufactured in a facility holding FSSC 22000, GMP, HACCP and MeSTI certification with US FDA registration.
What pack sizes and MOQ apply?
Powders are packed in 1 kg, 5 kg and 20 kg. MOQ and pricing are on quotation — contact us with your application and volume.
Is it suitable for vegan and allergen-free formulations?
Yes. The powder is vegan, non-GMO, not irradiated, gluten-free (<20 ppm) and free of Annex II allergens per the house specification — a fungal ingredient with none of the animal-origin questions of marine collagen or bird's nest.
What finished products can it go into?
Beauty-from-within drinks and sachets, capsules, tablets, gummies, dessert-style RTDs, functional confectionery and mushroom-complex blends — Bionutricia supplies the bulk ingredient; the brand owner formulates the finished format.
How should it be stored?
In sealed containers in a cool, dry place away from sunlight, moisture and pests; shelf life is 2 years when properly stored.
Request the tremella extract powder specification and batch COA
MOQ and pricing on quotation · View the product page or contact our technical team
