Sempera Organics and Alkemist Labs have entered into a collaboration agreement whereby the two companies will develop testing protocols for the research and commercialization of mushrooms for health and wellness.
 
Sempera is also signing on for the Alkemist Assured program to demonstrate the company’s supply chain transparency. The program requires that companies use Alkemist for identity, potency, and contaminant testing services for raw material and blended ingredients, which in turn allows them to use the Alkemist Assured seal.
 
The two companies will collaborate on various fronts toward developing protocols for testing fungi-derived bioactives and creating standards for measuring quality, purity, and identity.
 
“Mycelium produces high quantities of beta glucans, dietary fibers and bioactive compounds, but current tests for these are often inaccurate, not reproducible or unavailable,” said Dennis Desjardin, chief mycologist at Sempera Organics. “Working with Alkemist we intend to develop new methods to accurately identify and quantify helpful compounds that will aid in producing ingredients standardized for specific bioactives and stimulate further research.” 
 
“Fungi-forward applications are transforming the natural-sourced wellness landscape across supplements and functional foods and beverages,” said Nirmal Nair, CEO of Sempera Organics. “Of particular interest are cognition, immunity, and gut flora health applications. Although there is a vast body of academic research into fungi such as Lions Mane, Reishi, and Cordyceps, sufficient testing and standardization beyond polysaccharides and beta glucans is needed for scientific and clinical trials, and for wider market adoption.”
 
According to Elan Sudberg, CEO of Alkemist Labs, the 25-year-old ISO-17025-accredited and DEA-registered Schedules 1, 2, 3, and 4 facility is uniquely qualified based on its background in plant and fungi analysis.
 
“We are excited to collaborate with Sempera and contribute to bringing consensus and order to fungi ingredient validations, which is particularly important with such rapid growth in consumer demand,” said Sudberg. “Alkemist Labs focuses on plant and fungi analysis, including a commitment to ensuring accurate identity of material for regulatory compliance. Our firm belief that companies should be transparent about test results led to the Alkemist Assured program.”
 
“Alkemist aims to be the number-one testing house for fungi and we want to be the number-one mushroom ingredients supplier, so we intend for our synergies to accelerate fungi ingredient adoption for natural wellness,” Nair said.