On May 17, the government service platform of the National Health Commission publicly released an announcement on the acceptance of new food raw materials. Ergothioneine was included in the announcement, which means that ergothioneine has been accepted by the National Health Commission and entered the new food raw material review process. , which indicates that the ingredient ergothioneine may usher in new development possibilities in fields such as oral anti-aging.
According to data from the National Health Commission, it is expected that around 2035, my country's elderly population aged 60 and above will exceed 400 million, accounting for more than 30% of the total population, and will enter the stage of severe aging. By around 2050, the size and proportion of my country's elderly population, the old-age dependency ratio and the social dependency ratio will reach their peaks one after another. According to the current situation and development trends, my country's anti-aging market demand is still expanding and has great market potential.
Ergothioneine (EGT), whose chemical name is 2-thioimidazole amino acid, is a natural thiimidazole amino acid strong antioxidant. It was originally discovered by Tanret in the ergot fungus Clavieps purpurea of Secale cereale L. ( Fr.) Isolated from Tul.
Ergothioneine mainly exists in edible and medicinal fungi such as Ganoderma lucidum. Among them, edible fungi are called health foods or have medicinal value. One of the reasons is that they are rich in EGT, an effective antioxidant. The EGT content of edible fungi is affected by the type, nutrient supply, and cultivation environment. The content of EGT varies greatly among different edible fungus species, ranging from 0.02 to 7.27 mg/g dry weight.
Ergothioneine also has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, cardiovascular protective, and liver disease prevention effects. Ergothioneine has good application prospects in the biomedical field due to its strong antioxidant properties, high stability and non-toxicity. In addition, ergothioneine plays an important role in the current cosmetics and food fields, and also has strong potential in pet nutrition and sports nutrition.
Current status of application of ergothioneine
China - In 2021, the State Food and Drug Administration revised the "Catalogue of Used Cosmetic Raw Materials (2015 Edition)" to form the "Catalogue of Used Cosmetic Raw Materials (2021 Edition)", which will be effective from May 1, 2021. Among them is ergothioneine (EGT). Currently, ergothioneine is approved for use in cosmetics.
The latest development is that on May 17, 2024, the National Health Commission's government service platform publicly released an announcement on the acceptance of new food raw materials. Among them, ergothioneine has been accepted by the National Health Commission and has entered the new food raw material review process.
European Union - A query on the China Standards Service Network shows that Commission Implementation Decision (EU) 2017/1281 of July 13, 2017, authorizes the EU in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council (according to C (2017) 4844 Document Notice) puts L-ergothioneine on the market as a new food ingredient.
On November 13 of the same year, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) released a safety assessment report on synthetic l-ergothioneine as a new resource food for use in the diet of infants, pregnant women and lactating women. According to Overall toxicology data, the maximum expected daily intake of L-ergothioneine is: 2.82 mg/(kg. bw) for infants, 3.39 mg/(kg. bw) for young children, and 1.31 mg/(kg for pregnant and lactating women). . bw), no obvious harmful effects were observed at the daily intake of 800 mg/(kg. bw) determined in the original assessment.
United States - In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that ErgoActive® (ergothioneine) is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) under "conditions of intended use." This suggests that ergothioneine can be incorporated into products such as cosmetics, beauty products, food, beverages and health supplements.
