Trametes versicolor Polysaccharide Powder

Hot-water extraction of the Trametes versicolor fruiting body gives this polysaccharide powder, the glucan and protein-bound glucan fraction of turkey tail, taken from a tough, fibrous bracket. It is purified, dried and milled to a fine light yellow powder that dissolves in water.

Polysaccharide content is ≥30% by UV-Vis (phenol–sulfuric, as glucose), moisture and total ash are each ≤5.0%, and the powder is milled to 80 mesh. It is supplied for dietary supplements, functional beverages and functional foods, and the percentage is stated with its method.

SKU: BOT-BPS-0071 Category: Botanical Polysaccharides Tags: Mushroom & Fungi, Polysaccharides, Turkey Tail, Water Extracted, Water Soluble, Water-Extracted Fractions

Trametes versicolor Polysaccharide Identity

Trametes versicolor polysaccharide powder is made from the fruiting body of Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd, the turkey tail or yun zhi, a thin, leathery bracket fungus with concentric bands of brown, grey, blue and cream. Trametes versicolor fruiting body is the part used. Older literature uses the name Coriolus versicolor, which refers to the same fungus.

Trametes versicolor grows in overlapping tiers on dead hardwood logs and is cultivated on wood-based substrate. Its flesh is tough and almost woody, which is why it is never eaten as a food and is processed by hot-water extraction. The banding comes from pigment layers in the fruiting body and varies from specimen to specimen.

The polysaccharides reported for this fungus are β-glucans, together with protein-bound glucans in which a glucan chain is attached to a peptide. Two such preparations, known in the literature as PSK and PSP, were made from mycelial cultures of this species and are different materials from a fruiting-body powder. The fruiting body also holds glycogen and a chitin-rich wall.

Hot-water extraction pulls the soluble and swellable polymers into solution, and ethanol precipitation concentrates them. Because the fruiting body is so tough, it is ground fine and extracted at length, and the finished percentage is checked on the purified powder.

Related products from this fungus differ in form. Turkey Tail Mushroom Powder is the milled fruiting body and Turkey Tail Mushroom Extract Powder is a ratio extract.

Polysaccharide Content & Test Method

For Trametes versicolor the stated figure is polysaccharides ≥30% by UV-Vis, a total-carbohydrate reading. Hot sulfuric acid hydrolyses the carbohydrate in the sample, phenol turns the released sugars into a colored product, and absorbance is compared with glucose, so the value is a glucose equivalent.

Protein-bound glucans are the specific complication here. The protein part does not react in the carbohydrate assay, so a sample can show a moderate sugar reading even when a large share of its mass is glucan-protein complex. A nitrogen value and a sugar value for the same powder do not add up to a single figure, and neither describes the complexes as a whole.

The assay also counts glycogen along with β-glucan because both release glucose, so the 30% value is not a β-glucan content. Mycelial products add another trap: mycelium grown on cereal carries grain starch, which reads as polysaccharide, so a high percentage on a mycelium-based powder says little about fungal glucan. This grade is based on the fruiting body.

Gravimetric weights would include protein, and enzymatic assays are not used for this grade.

Typical Specifications

Specification Item	Product Information
Latin Name	Trametes versicolor
Plant Part	Mushroom & Fungi
Processing	Water Extraction & Purification
Common Name	Turkey tail (Yun Zhi)
Ingredient Type	Polysaccharide Extract
Polysaccharide Type	Protein-bound β-glucans and heteropolysaccharides
Content	Polysaccharides ≥30% (UV-Vis, as glucose)
Appearance	Light Yellow powder
Solubility / Dispersibility	Water Soluble
Quality Parameters
Moisture	≤5.0% (LOD)
Total Ash	≤5.0%
Particle Size	80 mesh
Heavy Metals	Lead ≤2 ppm · Arsenic ≤1 ppm · Cadmium ≤1 ppm · Mercury ≤0.1 ppm
Microbiology	TPC ≤1,000 cfu/g · Yeast & Mold ≤100 cfu/g · E. coli Negative · Salmonella Negative/25 g
Shelf Life	24 months in unopened original packaging, cool and dry storage

Trametes versicolor Polysaccharide Solution Behavior

Trametes versicolor polysaccharide dissolves in warm water to a pale yellow, slightly hazy solution. The glucans swell and the protein-bound fractions add some body, so the liquid is mildly viscous at normal levels and does not gel. Cold water dissolves the powder more slowly, and sifting it into a stirred vortex avoids lumps.

The glucan backbone tolerates standard pasteurization and mildly acidic drinks. Prolonged boiling in strong acid shortens the chains. The protein-bound fraction can brown with reducing sugars during hot filling, so sweetened, hot-filled drinks darken faster than dry blends, and polyphenols from tea or juice can bind the protein and add haze.

Turkey tail extracts retain a mild, woody, slightly bitter note from the fungus. This note is faint in the purified powder and is covered by flavor or sweetener in a finished drink, but it is noticeable in plain water.

Hold-time tests are the best guide. Cold, neutral drinks stay clear through normal storage, while warm acidic ones slowly lose body. The powder is hygroscopic and cakes in open air. No viscosity values are stated for this grade.

Appearance in the cup is a useful cue. A freshly stirred solution of Trametes versicolor polysaccharide looks pale and nearly clear, then shows a light haze as the swollen glucans disperse, and the haze stays stable for hours. Trametes versicolor polysaccharide leaves very little sediment, and a gentle stir restores the cloudiness in the cold.

Application Areas

Woody-Note Tea Powders

Trametes versicolor polysaccharide blends into instant tea and chai powders, where a mild woody note is acceptable. Dissolve it before milk powders are added, and judge haze at drinking temperature after the cup has cooled. Brew strength and polysaccharide level are trialed together at the cup concentration.

Mushroom Blend Capsules

In capsules, the powder sits beside other fungal fractions with little added aroma. A flow agent prevents bridging in the hopper, and fill weight is verified at the start and end of each run to keep doses consistent. Fill weight is verified at the start and end of each run.

Cocoa and Coffee-Style Mixes

Dry cocoa and coffee-style mixes mask the faint bitterness and carry the polysaccharide without visible haze. Because cocoa solids bind some polyphenol, color and sediment are compared with a control batch before launch. Haze and sediment are compared with a cocoa-only control.

Stick-Pack Sachets

Blends with sweetener or soluble fiber disperse the powder evenly in sachets. A moisture-barrier laminate prevents caking before use, and dose weight is checked on samples from the start, middle and end of filling. Dose weight is checked from the start, middle and end of filling.

Tablet Presses

Tablets compress with standard fillers after dry granulation. Wet granulation gels the surface and prolongs drying, so granules are dried to a controlled endpoint, and hardness plus disintegration time are rechecked after humid storage. Release time is logged beside hardness after humid storage.

Packaging & Commercial Supply

Essencefield supports product evaluation, formulation trials, commercial orders, and ongoing ingredient supply. Packaging, storage, and shipping arrangements are determined by product characteristics, order quantity, stability requirements, and destination-market needs.

Supply Item	General Information
Sample	Available upon request for formulation, testing, and supplier evaluation
Order Quantities	100 g · 1 kg · 5 kg · 25 kg · 100 kg · 500 kg · Bulk
Sample Lead Time	Typically 5–7 days after sample confirmation
Production Lead Time	Typically 15–30 days after order and specification confirmation
Packaging	Suitable protective inner packaging with bags, cartons, drums, or other appropriate outer packaging
Storage	Store in tightly sealed, suitable protective packaging in a cool, dry environment. Protect from moisture, heat, and direct sunlight. Specific storage conditions follow the approved product specification.
Documentation	COA · Product Specification · TDS · SDS · Applicable declarations (as applicable)

Final order quantities, lead times, packaging, documentation, and shipping arrangements are confirmed according to the selected product and commercial requirements.