Champignon mushroom(Agaricus bisporus) powder-treated with ultraviolet (UV) light to induce the conversion of provitamin D2 (ergosterol) to vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol)-receives a novel food authorization with exclusivity for the third time (1,2,3).
Vitamin D is after all valuable for bone health and immune system health, as noted. And it is certainly helpful to have its own plant-based source, especially for vegan consumers. (1)
Champignons, waste and virtue
The Champignon mushroom is one of the most well-known and globally marketed mushrooms . Consumption is most prevalent in Asia (78.2 percent of global sales), followed by Europe (14.7 percent) and the American continent (6.2 percent). Its wastage, however, reaches 20% of the total produced, due to aesthetic nonconformities and/or overproduction. And disposal (e.g., incineration, burial) has serious environmental as well as socio-economic impacts. (4)
On the other hand, the virtues of this mushroom are significant due to its richness in nutrients (carbohydrates, amino acids, fats, minerals) and bioactive compounds. Powders and extracts can therefore be used, with a view to upcycling, to make:
– Food ingredients with health-promoting properties (immuno-nutrition and prevention of diabetes, cancer, obesity),
– Creams and shampoos with anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties, (5)
– Vitamin D2 with appreciable levels of bioavailability. (6)
EFSA Scientific Opinion
EFSA, in its scientific opinion 24.2.21, considered the safety of the novel food under consideration. The use of UV is now well established, including in the production of other novel foods that have already been authorized. Such as milk, which through this food technology increases the concentration of vitamin D3, baking yeast, and bread.
Special attention was paid to the presence of agaritin toxin, the concentration of which in the mushroom powder was minimized precisely because of the UV treatment. (7) The previous EFSA scientific opinion 28.11.19 facilitated the examination, as obvious, if even the product characteristics and uses are partly different. (8)
European Commission, the decision
The European Commission agreed with the applicant on the compromise to exclude the use of novel food from food supplements intended for infants and young children (<3 years), if even this precaution had not been considered by EFSA.
Reg. EU 2017/2470 – bearing list of novel foods authorized under reg. EU 2015/2283 – has thus been updated with relevant information on conditions of use, labeling requirements, and applicant data protection.
The specifications refer to a ‘Mushroom powder made from dried whole Agaricus bisporus mushrooms. The process includes drying, grinding and controlled exposure of mushroom powder to UV light‘.
Authorization with exclusivity
MBio’s Irish company, Monaghan Mushrooms, submitted the application on 7/29/19, along with a request for data protection on several studies pertaining to:
– production process,
– composition data,
– specifications,
– allergenicity.
Authorization with exclusivity was granted upon recognition of the ownership of the studies, although it is scientific literature already known or absent on:
– Agaritin concentration,
– ADME (absorption, digestion, metabolism, excretion) on the bioavailability of vitamin D2,
– Toxicological studies and intervention studies.
Interim conclusions
The list of Novel Foods authorized in the Old Continent continues to grow, at an increasingly brisk pace. The interests of the entire supply chain, from farm to fork, converge mainly on functional or nutraceutical foods. And Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, as seen, has undoubtedly facilitated this path.
The problem is the instrumental use of this discipline-which aspires to the free movement of safe and healthy food, as well as to reduce the environmental impact of production-to win industrial privations on nature (e.g., microalgae, miracle fruit, mung bean). Only to have analyzed the products and performed a scientific review. Public goods, private interests.
Dario Dongo and Andrea Adelmo Della Penna
Notes
(1) Reg. EU 2021/2079, authorizing the placing on the market of mushroom powder containing vitamin D2 as a novel food under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 . EUR-Lex, http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2021/2079/oj
(2) EU Decision 2017/2355, authorizing the placing on the market of UV-treated mushrooms as a novel food under Reg. EC no. 258/97. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/IT/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32017D2355&qid=1640001212750
(3) Reg. EU 2018/1011, Authorizing an extension of the use levels of UV-treated mushrooms as a novel food under reg. EU 2015/2283. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2018/1011/oj?locale=it
(4) Cardoso et al. (2021). A Case Study on Surplus Mushrooms Production: Extraction and Recovery of Vitamin D2. Agriculture 11(7):579, https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11070579
(5) Usman et al. (2021). Nutritional, Medicinal, and Cosmetic Value of Bioactive Compounds in Button Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus): A Review. Applied Sciences 11 :5943 , https://doi.org/10.3390/app11135943
(6) Blumfield et al. (2020). Examining the health effects and bioactive components in Agaricus bisporus mushrooms: a scoping review. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 84:108453, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2020.108453
(7) EFSA NDA Panel et al. (2021). Safety of Vitamin D2 mushroom powder (Agaricus bisporus) as a Novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. EFSA Journal 19(4):6516, https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6516
(8) EFSA NDA Panel et al. (2019). Safety of vitamin D2 mushroom powder as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. EFSA Journal 18(1):5948, https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2020.5948
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Graduated in Food Technologies and Biotechnologies, qualified food technologist, he follows the research and development area. With particular regard to European research projects (in Horizon 2020, PRIMA) where the FARE division of WIISE Srl, a benefit company, participates.
