Jeff Chilton, president of Nammex Organic Mushroom Extracts, Gibsons, BC Canada, recently presented his beta-glucan research in Amsterdam to the International Society for Mushroom Science (ISMS), a worldwide organization of which he has been a member for 40 years. Held every four years, ISMS presents current research from around the globe on all aspects of mushrooms, including genetics, innovations in cultivation equipment and techniques, spawn making, and nutritional and medicinal aspects.
 
For years, mushroom scientists and advocates have been searching for a means to quantify the active compounds in medicinal mushrooms. Mr. Chilton has solved this problem with the development of the Nammex Testing Protocol, a series of three or more tests that provide a fingerprint for mushroom quality. Based around the groundbreaking Megazyme beta-glucan test, this testing protocol is relatively inexpensive and very accurate. In fact, a number of members at the conference also presented research that used the Megazyme method.
 
According to Mr. Chilton, the Megazyme beta-glucan based protocol sets a new standard and revolutionizes the assessment of medicinal mushroom products. “There can no longer be any doubt as to medicinal mushroom product quality. The Nammex Testing Protocol gives all companies the tools to evaluate and verify claims made by their mushroom supplier.”