Tremella fuciformis Polysaccharide Powder

Hot-water extraction of the Tremella fuciformis fruiting body gives this polysaccharide powder, the acidic, highly water-holding gum that makes snow fungus translucent and jelly-like. The gum is purified, dried and milled to a fine light yellow powder that dissolves in water into a clear, viscous liquid.

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, with the percentage stated beside its method.

SKU: BOT-BPS-0073 Category: Botanical Polysaccharides Tags: Mushroom & Fungi, Polysaccharides, Tremella, Water Extracted, Water Soluble, Water-Extracted Fractions

Tremella fuciformis Polysaccharide Identity

Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide powder is made from the fruiting body of Tremella fuciformis Berk., the snow fungus or white jelly mushroom, a translucent, frilly, gelatinous fungus. Tremella fuciformis fruiting body is the part used. It dries to a pale, brittle lump and swells to many times its dry size in water.

Tremella fuciformis has an unusual life cycle. It is a parasite of another fungus, a wood-decay species, and in cultivation it is grown together with a companion fungus on wood substrate in order to fruit. Only the Tremella fruiting body is the source of this powder, and the companion fungus is not part of the material.

The characteristic polysaccharide is an acidic heteropolysaccharide with a mannose backbone, linked by α-(1→3) bonds, and side chains containing xylose, fucose and glucuronic acid. It is often described as a glucuronoxylomannan. The chains are long and charged, and they hold water extremely well, which gives the fruiting body its gel texture and the extract its high viscosity.

Hot-water extraction pulls the gum into solution, and ethanol precipitation concentrates it. Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide differs from the neutral, low-viscosity glucans of other mushrooms in this catalog, because charge and chain length make it a hydrocolloid.

Related snow fungus products differ in form. Tremella Mushroom Powder is the milled fruiting body and Tremella Mushroom Extract Powder is a ratio extract.

Polysaccharide Content & Test Method

The stated figure is polysaccharides ≥30% by UV-Vis, a total-carbohydrate measurement. Hot sulfuric acid hydrolyses the gum to its component sugars, phenol turns them into a colored product, and absorbance is compared with glucose, so the value is a glucose equivalent.

For Tremella fuciformis the sugar mix is unusual and matters for the reading. Mannose, the main sugar, responds a little differently from glucose, and glucuronic acid responds more weakly. A glucuronoxylomannan read against a glucose curve is therefore a comparison value and not an absolute mass of gum, and lots must be measured by the same method to be compared.

Viscosity affects handling in the laboratory. The solution is thick even when dilute, so it is diluted heavily before the colorimetric step and mixed thoroughly, and a poorly mixed aliquot gives a scattered result. Gravimetric weights would include protein and salts, and enzymatic assays are not used for this grade. Compare the value only with other UV-Vis results.

Typical Specifications

Specification Item	Product Information
Latin Name	Tremella fuciformis
Plant Part	Mushroom & Fungi
Processing	Water Extraction & Purification
Common Name	Snow fungus (white jelly mushroom)
Ingredient Type	Polysaccharide Extract
Polysaccharide Type	Acidic glucuronoxylomannan-type heteropolysaccharide
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

Tremella fuciformis Polysaccharide Solution Behavior

Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide is water soluble and builds viscosity at much lower concentration than most mushroom polysaccharides. The long, charged chains tie up water, so a solution of a few grams per liter is already syrupy and slippery, and the viscosity continues to climb for several minutes after the powder has seemingly dissolved.

Dissolution is steadier when the powder is sifted into stirred water than when it is dumped onto a still surface, because the first layer swells into a film that traps dry powder. Warm water speeds hydration, and pre-blending the powder with sugar disperses it before it meets the liquid.

Charge governs compatibility. Divalent cations such as calcium can raise the viscosity or form soft aggregates, basic proteins can bind and cloud the solution, and strong acid with heat shortens the chain and thins it. Neutral to mildly acidic water-based systems are the stable case, and the solution is clear to faintly hazy.

The flavor is neutral and the color pale. The powder is strongly hygroscopic and cakes in open air. No viscosity values are stated for this grade.

Trial design should respect the slow viscosity build. A drink with Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide that feels thin at mixing can feel syrupy by the next day, so samples are judged after a night in the cold, and the Tremella fuciformis level is chosen from that reading and not from the first stir.

Application Areas

Clear Viscous Drink Bases

Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide gives clear drinks a smooth, syrupy body at very low inclusion, and the neutral flavor does not need masking. Because viscosity keeps rising after mixing, the finished drink is judged after ten minutes and again after a day. Viscosity is judged again after one night in the cold.

Spoonable Gel Desserts

In clear gel desserts the gum supplies soft body and water retention beside agar or gellan. The gels are tender and release water on cutting, so the gum is used as a texturizer and not as the main gelling agent. Gel strength is tested at the final pH and mineral level.

Capsule and Granule Fills

The powder is bulky and absorbs moisture quickly, so capsule shells and granule packs need protection from humid air. Because the gum thickens on contact with water, labels should advise taking capsules with a full glass of liquid. Capsules are packed with a desiccant to prevent sticking.

Sachet Dispersions

Dry sachets blended with sugar or soluble fiber hydrate more evenly than the neat powder and avoid lumps. A moisture-barrier laminate prevents the contents from caking, and the instructions should call for stirring until the liquid turns smooth. Stirring instructions are printed on the sachet to prevent lumps.

Texture Aids for Fruit Jellies

Fruit jelly drinks and spoonable fruit gels can use the powder to hold fruit pieces in suspension. Acid and calcium both change the thickness, so pH and mineral content are fixed before the gum level is chosen. Pieces stay suspended better as the gum level rises.

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.