On October 21, the 12th Medicinal Fungi Academic Seminar was held in Fuzhou, Fujian. The seminar was hosted by China Edible Fungi Association and the Medicinal Fungi Committee of China Edible Fungi Association, and co-organized by Fujian GanoHerb Biotechnology Group and the Institute of Edible Fungi, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

 

At the seminar, Li Yu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Greg Seymour, the president of the International Society for Mushroom Science, sent a video to congratulate the opening of the seminar and gave speeches. More than two hundred well-known experts, scholars, and entrepreneurs in the field of edible and medicinal fungi gathered together. The aim is to build a more open, cutting-edge, and scientific academic exchange platform to further promote the standardization and high-quality development of China's medicinal fungi industry.

 

Leading enterprises are driving and assisting the high-quality development of Fujian’s edible and medicinal fungi industry.

 

As one of the organizers of this seminar, Li Ye, the chairman of GanoHerb Group, expressed a warm welcome to the guests and stated that under the background of an all-encompassing approach to food, the transformation and upgrade of the edible and medicinal fungi industry will usher in new opportunities. The release and implementation of the new national standard for Ganoderma spore powder, which is led to formulate by GanoHerb Group, will greatly promote the high-quality development of the Ganoderma industry.

 

 

In his speech, Lin Zhiliang, the Deputy Mayor of Fuzhou City and Chairman of the Fuzhou Association for Science and Technology, stated that in recent years, Fuzhou City has placed great emphasis on the development of the edible and medicinal mushroom industry. A number of excellent products with local characteristics, such as Luoyuan oyster mushrooms and GanoHerb Reishi, have emerged. The edible and medicinal mushroom industry has become one of the seven characteristic industries of Fuzhou’s agriculture, supporting the growth of county economies and helping farmers increase their income.

 

 

"Mushrooms are green, ecological, nutritious, and health-promoting foods with functions such as reinforcing healthy qi and securing the root, and regulating immunity," Lin Xueli, a member of the Fujian Association for Science and Technology Party Group and Vice Chairman, mentioned in his speech. "In recent years, Fujian Province has developed the edible and medicinal mushroom industry, such as Reishi, Tremella, and oyster mushrooms, according to local conditions. This has achieved good results. Among them, GanoHerb has become an excellent model for the development of the edible and medicinal mushroom industry in Fujian Province by enriching the local people with Reishi mushroom."

 

 

"China is a traditional powerhouse in the edible and medicinal mushroom industry, with a long history of mushroom consumption and medicinal use," said Greg Seymour, President of the International Society for Mushroom Science, in a video message. "Fujian Province has rich forest resources and unique ecological advantages, and the development of edible and medicinal mushrooms such as Reishi, Tremella, and Shiitake is going well. The local well-known brand GanoHerb not only focuses on Reishi research but also promotes the further development of the medicinal mushroom industry and even the global mushroom industry through technological innovation and cultural heritage."

 

 

As the organizer of this event, Gao Maolin, the president of China Edible Fungi Association, stated in his speech that medicinal fungi, as traditional Chinese medicine, have a profound application foundation in China. In recent decades, the scientific research and industrial application of medicinal fungi in China have achieved remarkable results and contributed significantly to rural revitalization. The successful hosting of this academic seminar on medicinal fungi will create new opportunities and a new pattern for the high-quality development of China’s edible and medicinal fungi industry.

 

 

Chen Shaojun, former vice chairman of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, stated in his speech that under the background of national policies such as “Great Health” and “the Belt and Road Initiative”, the edible mushroom industry has entered the “fast lane” of development. Among them, Reishi, as one of the representatives of Fujian’s nine flavors, has become an emerging pillar industry in northern Fujian. He also stated that this conference will be used as an opportunity to continuously promote brands such as “Fresh Fujian” and “Fu Culture”, and accelerate the green development pace of Fresh Fujian.

 

 

Li Yu, a national model for poverty alleviation and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, sent a video message to the seminar. He introduced that in the past thirty years, China's medicinal fungi industry has developed rapidly. Medicinal fungi such as Reishi have become characteristic industries that help revitalize rural areas in Fujian. The industry's first national standard for spore powder, led by Fujian Xianzhilou (GanoHerb), has further promoted the high-quality development of the Reishi industry. He expressed hope that in the future, GanoHerb can continue to seize the high ground of technology research and development, contributing to the health of all people and rural revitalization.

 

 

To promote the industrialization and standardization of the edible and medicinal mushroom industry, the "new national standard" for spore powder has been officially released.

 

 

At the seminar, the new national standard for “Technical Specifications for the Harvesting and Processing of Ganoderma Spore Powder” (GB/29344-2023), revised under the leadership of GanoHerb, was officially released. Yang Xiaoming, Secretary-General of the National Food Industry Standardization Technical Committee, pointed out that this is currently the only national standard in the Reishi industry. It is the first revision based on the old version from 2012, and it is of great significance for promoting the standardization, normalization, and international development of the entire Reishi industry.

 

 

As the leading drafting and developing unit of this national standard, Wu Changhui, the Chief Engineer of GanoHerb Group, reported on the relevant situation of the standard revision at the meeting. According to him, this new national standard not only added technical requirements such as Reishi polysaccharides, oil content of sporoderm-broken Reishi spore powder, and methods for sporoderm-breaking of spore powder, but also comprehensively revised aspects such as harvesting conditions, harvesting methods, and cleanliness of processing workshops, thereby raising the related requirements.

 

 

Industry experts discuss the high-quality development of the edible and medicinal mushroom industry together.

 

At the seminar, Zhang Jinsong, Director and Researcher of the Institute of Edible Fungi of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Li Taihui, Researcher of the Microbiology Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Yang Baoxue, Deputy Dean and Professor of the School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, and Chen Junchen, Researcher of the Agricultural Product Processing Research Institute of Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, each gave a wonderful keynote sharing on the topics of "The Path to High-Quality Development of China's Medicinal Fungi Industry", "Diversity of Resources and Varieties of Large Medicinal Fungi in China", "New Progress in the Study of Pharmacological Effects and Mechanisms of Reishi", and "The Current Status of Deep Processing and Product Development in the Edible and Medicinal Mushroom Industry", respectively.

 

Zhang Jinsong, Director and Researcher of the Institute of Edible Fungi of Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Li Taihui, Researcher of the Microbiology Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Sciences

Yang Baoxue, Deputy Dean and Professor of the School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University

Chen Junchen, Researcher of the Agricultural Product Processing Research Institute of Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences

 

This seminar also set up two sub-venues, "Resources and Varieties, Activity and Mechanism" and "Nutrition and Function, Standards and Products". In the upcoming conference process, many experts, scholars, and business representatives will start from their respective fields of expertise, focus on the advantages of edible and medicinal mushrooms that are "edible, medicinal, and therapeutic", and jointly discuss the grand plan for the high-quality development of the edible and medicinal mushroom industry.