What Is Triple Extraction? The Mushroom Process Most Brands Skip (And Why We Don’t)

We recently spent a few days at Natural Products Expo West, one of the largest natural products trade shows in the world, talking to everyone from fellow brand founders to serious mycologists to wellness consumers who've been deep in the functional mushroom world for years.

One thing kept coming up, over and over: triple extraction.

More specifically, people kept noting how rare it is. Mycologists, supplement formulators, and longtime functional mushroom users were surprised, and genuinely impressed, that Troomy uses triple extraction across our entire gummy lineup. A few of them told us flat out: most brands don't bother with this.

That got us thinking. If the people who know mushrooms best are flagging this as a meaningful differentiator, it probably deserves a proper explanation for everyone who's curious about what's actually in their supplements and why it matters more than most label copy lets on.

So here's the full breakdown: what triple extraction is, the science behind why it works, why so many brands skip it, and what it means for you as someone putting these mushrooms into your body every day.

First: Why Mushrooms Are Difficult to Extract

Functional mushrooms like lion's mane, reishi, cordyceps, and chaga are packed with bioactive compounds: beta-glucans, triterpenes, polysaccharides, hericenones, erinacines, and more. These are the compounds that give functional mushrooms their well-documented benefits: cognitive support, immune modulation, stress resilience, anti-inflammatory effects.

The problem is that these compounds don't all play by the same rules. Some are water-soluble. Some are alcohol-soluble. And some are locked inside incredibly tough cell walls made of a compound called chitin, the same substance that makes up the shells of crustaceans, that the human digestive system simply cannot break down on its own.

The Chitin Problem

Chitin is one of the most structurally tough biopolymers in nature. Unlike plant cell walls (made of cellulose, which humans can partially digest), chitin is almost entirely impervious to human digestion. This is a significant issue for mushroom supplements because if the cell walls aren't broken down before you consume the mushroom, your body absorbs very little of what's inside them.

This is exactly why raw or lightly processed mushroom powder delivers a fraction of the bioactive compounds that a properly extracted mushroom supplement can. Even if it's organic and even if it's sourced from high-quality fruiting bodies. You might be buying a product with impressive-looking milligram numbers on the label and getting very little of the actual benefit.

Source: Wasser, S.P. (2002). Medicinal mushrooms as a source of antitumor and immunomodulating polysaccharides. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 60(3), 258–274.

The Solubility Problem

Even once you solve the chitin problem, you're not done. Different bioactive compounds require different extraction environments to become bioavailable:

• Beta-glucans and polysaccharides (the primary immune-modulating compounds) are water-soluble. Hot water extraction is required to pull them out effectively.

• Triterpenes (the calming, anti-inflammatory compounds especially prominent in reishi) are alcohol-soluble. They require an ethanol extraction to become bioavailable.

• Hericenones and erinacines (lion's mane's NGF-stimulating compounds) have their own extraction requirements to preserve their integrity and potency.

A single-extraction method can only effectively capture one category of these compounds. If a brand uses only hot water extraction, for example, the triterpenes in their reishi are likely being left behind. That's a significant portion of what makes reishi, reishi.

Source: Boh, B., Berovic, M., Zhang, J., & Zhi-Bin, L. (2007). Ganoderma lucidum and its pharmaceutically active compounds. Biotechnology Annual Review, 13, 265–301.

What Is Triple Extraction, Exactly?

Triple extraction is a three-stage process designed to unlock the full spectrum of bioactive compounds from functional mushrooms, solving both the chitin problem and the solubility problem in a single comprehensive approach. Here's how each stage works:

Stage 1: Fermentation (Cell Wall Breaking)

The first stage targets the chitin cell walls. Fermentation uses beneficial microorganisms and enzymatic processes to break down the tough chitin structure, physically opening the mushroom's cells and making their contents accessible for the extraction stages that follow.

This step is the one most commonly skipped. Fermentation takes time, requires controlled conditions, and adds meaningful cost to the production process. But without it, the extractions that follow are working against intact cell walls and a significant portion of the bioactive compounds remain trapped and inaccessible, regardless of how good your extraction method is.

Fermentation also has a secondary benefit: it can enhance the bioavailability of certain compounds even further and support the development of additional beneficial metabolites during the process.

Source: Zhu, F., Du, B., & Xu, B. (2016). A critical review on production and industrial applications of beta-glucans. Food Hydrocolloids, 52, 275–288.

Stage 2: Hot Water Extraction (Water-Soluble Compounds)

With the cell walls broken down, the second stage uses hot water extraction to pull out the water-soluble bioactive compounds, primarily beta-glucans and polysaccharides. These are the compounds most directly linked to immune system modulation, gut health support, and the broad anti-inflammatory activity that functional mushrooms are widely known for.

Hot water extraction is actually what most single-extraction mushroom products use as their only step. It's the most common method in the industry because it's cost-effective and captures the compounds most people associate with mushroom health benefits. The limitation is everything it misses: the alcohol-soluble compounds remain entirely uncaptured.

Source: Rop, O., Mlcek, J., & Jurikova, T. (2009). Beta-glucans in higher fungi and their health effects. Nutrition Reviews, 67(11), 624–631.

Stage 3: Ethanol (Alcohol) Extraction (Alcohol-Soluble Compounds)

The third stage uses ethanol (food-grade alcohol) to extract the compounds that hot water can't reach. In reishi, this is where the triterpenes live, the compounds responsible for reishi's calming, adaptogenic, and anti-inflammatory properties. In other mushrooms, ethanol extraction captures additional lipid-soluble phytochemicals that contribute meaningfully to their overall benefit profile.

The alcohol is then removed from the final extract and you're left with the concentrated compounds, not the solvent. This is standard practice in high-quality supplement manufacturing.

Without this stage, you're leaving a significant portion of the mushroom's functional value on the table. For reishi in particular, skipping ethanol extraction means the final product contains very little of the triterpenes that make reishi one of the most respected adaptogens in traditional and modern wellness alike.

Source: Ferreira, I.C., Barros, L., & Abreu, R.M. (2009). Antioxidants in wild mushrooms. Current Medicinal Chemistry, 16(12), 1543–1560.

Why it's called "full spectrum": When a brand uses triple extraction, the resulting product contains the full spectrum of a mushroom's bioactive compounds: water-soluble, alcohol-soluble, and everything the fermentation stage unlocked. Single-extraction products, by definition, are capturing a partial picture of what the mushroom actually has to offer.

Why Most Brands Don't Triple Extract

This is the part that surprised a lot of the mycologists and supplement formulators we spoke with at Expo West, not that triple extraction exists, but that so few consumer brands actually use it. The reasons are straightforward from a business standpoint, even if they're frustrating from a consumer one.

• Cost: Each additional extraction stage adds cost. Fermentation requires time, controlled environments, and specialized equipment. Ethanol extraction requires additional processing and safety protocols. For brands prioritizing margin over quality, these steps are easy to cut.

• Time: Triple extraction takes significantly longer than a single hot water extraction. For brands optimizing for production speed and volume, this is a real constraint that most choose to sidestep.

• Consumer awareness: Most supplement consumers don't know to ask about extraction methods. Brands can print impressive milligram counts on their labels from low-quality, minimally extracted powders and most buyers won't know the difference. This creates a market incentive to cut corners.

• Labeling flexibility: The supplement industry doesn't require brands to disclose extraction methods on their labels. A product can legally list "500mg lion's mane" without specifying whether that's a triple-extracted fruiting body extract or a raw mycelium powder grown on grain. Which are two very different things with very different bioactive compound profiles.

The result is a market where many products that look similar on the label are actually delivering very different levels of real benefit. Extraction method is one of the most important quality indicators in functional mushroom supplements and one of the least visible to everyday consumers.

What Triple Extraction Means for Every Troomy Gummy

Every single Troomy gummy, from Focus to Calm to Boost to Sleep to Shine to Recovery to Daily, is made with triple-extracted mushroom ingredients. That's not a marketing line. It's a production commitment that affects every step of how our products are made and every milligram on our label.

• Every milligram on our label is an extracted milligram. Not raw powder. Not mycelium grown on grain filler. Concentrated, bioavailable extract from mushroom fruiting bodies and mycelium that have been through all three extraction stages.

• You're getting the full compound profile. Water-soluble and alcohol-soluble compounds alike, beta-glucans, triterpenes, polysaccharides, hericenones, erinacines, all present and bioavailable in a way single-extraction products simply can't match.

• The chitin barrier is gone. The fermentation stage means your digestive system isn't fighting intact cell walls to access the compounds. What's in the gummy is designed to actually absorb.

• Made in the United States. All Troomy products are manufactured domestically under stringent quality standards, giving us full visibility into our production process including every stage of extraction.

A note from Expo West: When mycologists who've spent years studying functional mushrooms stop at your table and tell you that triple extraction is rare and meaningful, that's the kind of validation that matters. We've always believed this process was worth the extra investment. It was good to hear it confirmed by the people who know these mushrooms best.

Clean Extraction, Clean Ingredients: Our Natural Wellness Commitment

Triple extraction isn't the only way we think carefully about what goes into our gummies. As Earth Day approaches and as we continue building out our sustainability thinking across everything we do, it feels right to share the broader picture of how we source and formulate.

Functional mushrooms are, at their core, one of the most natural and regenerative wellness ingredients on the planet. They require no synthetic inputs to thrive, they play critical roles in healthy ecosystems, and their benefits are rooted in thousands of years of documented use rather than laboratory invention. We take that foundation seriously in everything downstream from it.

Natural Flavors and Natural Colors, Always

Every Troomy gummy uses natural flavors and natural colors. No artificial dyes, no synthetic flavor compounds, no ingredients that exist purely for visual appeal at the cost of what's actually clean for your body and better for the planet.

This matters more than it might sound. Artificial colors like Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1 are still widely used in the supplement industry, including in many gummy formats, despite growing scrutiny around their safety and the straightforward existence of natural alternatives. We don't use them. Our gummies get their color from natural vegetable sources, and their flavor from real fruit-derived natural flavoring compounds. What you taste and see is as clean as what you're supplementing.

Source: Kobylewski, S., & Jacobson, M.F. (2010). Food dyes: A rainbow of risks. Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Plant-Based and Vegetarian-Friendly

Our gummies are made with pectin rather than gelatin, a meaningful choice for vegetarians, vegans, and anyone trying to reduce reliance on animal-derived ingredients. Pectin is plant-derived (typically from fruit), effective as a gummy base, and cleaner from both a dietary and environmental footprint standpoint than animal gelatin. It's the kind of default decision that reflects a broader orientation toward ingredients that are good for people and lighter on the planet.

We also use organic tapioca syrup as our base sweetener which is a less processed, lower-glycemic alternative to conventional corn syrup and organic vegetable glycerin, a plant-derived humectant that keeps our gummies soft without synthetic additives.

No Unnecessary Fillers. Full Stop.

Our ingredient lists are short on purpose. Every ingredient in a Troomy gummy has a function, either as an active wellness compound or as a clean, necessary component of the gummy itself. We don't pad our formulas with excipients, flow agents, or ingredients that exist to reduce manufacturing costs at the expense of product integrity.

The supplement industry has a long history of opaque labels and filler-heavy formulas. We'd rather have a simpler, shorter label that means something than an impressive-sounding one that doesn't. When you read a Troomy label, every ingredient is there for a reason.

How to Actually Read a Mushroom Supplement Label

Since most brands don't volunteer their extraction methods, here's a quick guide to evaluating any functional mushroom supplement, whether it's from Troomy or anyone else. You deserve to know what you're actually getting.

• Look for "extract" on the label, not just "powder." A product listing "lion's mane extract" is more likely to have gone through meaningful processing than one listing "lion's mane powder." Extract doesn't guarantee triple extraction, but it's a better starting point.

• Check whether it specifies fruiting body vs. mycelium. Mycelium-only products, especially when grown on grain substrates, can contain a high proportion of starch from the grain rather than actual mushroom compounds. Fruiting body extract or a fruiting body + mycelium blend is generally preferable.

• Look for polysaccharide or beta-glucan percentages. If a brand specifies something like "30% polysaccharides" or "20% beta-glucans," that's a sign they've actually measured the active compound content of their extract. This is a meaningful quality indicator.

• Ask about the extraction method. Any brand confident in their manufacturing process should be able to tell you how their mushrooms are extracted. If the answer is vague or unavailable, that's worth noting.

• Check for artificial colors and flavors in the Other Ingredients. FD&C dyes, "artificial flavor," or a long list of unrecognizable additives are signals about the overall formulation philosophy of the brand and whether clean standards extend beyond the active ingredients.

Reference: Stamets, P. (2005). Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World. Ten Speed Press. (Industry-standard reference on mushroom extraction and bioavailability.)

The Bottom Line: Extraction Is the Whole Ballgame

You can source the most carefully grown, organically produced functional mushrooms in the world and still end up with a supplement that delivers a fraction of their potential if the extraction process isn't done right.

Triple extraction is the honest answer to that problem. It's more work, takes more time, and costs more to produce. We do it anyway because there's no point in putting lion's mane in a gummy if the lion's mane can't actually do anything once it's in there. Same goes for every mushroom across our entire lineup.

We came home from Expo West more confident than ever that this is a part of what we're doing that's genuinely meaningful not just for our products, but for raising the standard of what functional mushroom supplements can and should be. The people who know these mushrooms best said it mattered. We've always believed it. Now we want everyone who takes Troomy to understand exactly why.

The gummies are delicious. The mushrooms are real. The extraction is complete. The ingredients are clean. That's the Troomy standard and we're not cutting corners on any of it.