Call for Papers: Functional Mushroom Quality and Characterization
Advancing Analytical Methods, Standards, and Quality Evaluation for the Functional Mushroom Market
Guest Editors: Yijin Tang, Wei Zhu, and Zhuohong (Kenny) Xie
The global functional mushroom market is expanding rapidly. Species such as Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus), Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), and Cordyceps have expanded from dietary supplements into mainstream foods, functional beverages, and everyday wellness products. However, analytical tools for ensuring product authenticity, quality, and safety have not kept pace with growing consumer demand.
Quality control laboratories face significant challenges in differentiating fruiting bodies, cultivated mycelial biomass, growth-substrate components, and complex mixtures. Matrix composition may also affect the measurement and interpretation of commonly used quality markers, including polysaccharides.
In addition, species authentication, labeling consistency, and batch-to-batch variability in fungal metabolites remain important considerations in product characterization and quality evaluation. Without standardized, fit-for-purpose analytical methods, manufacturers, laboratories, and regulators face persistent challenges in consistently assessing product identity, composition, quality, and safety.
This special issue in the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL aims to bring together analytical chemists, method developers, standards-setting organizations, and industry practitioners to address these gaps. We invite original research articles and review articles that advance practical, fit-for-purpose testing strategies to safeguard product quality, support regulatory compliance, and promote transparency and fair competition in the marketplace.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Marker Quantification and Method Validation: Development and validation of methods for β-glucans, triterpenoids, and other relevant fungal metabolites, including hericenones and erinacines in Lion’s Mane; ganoderic and ganoderenic acids in Reishi; and inotodiol, trametenolic acid, 3β-hydroxylanosta-8,24-dien-21-al, and lanosterol in Chaga. Single-laboratory validation, collaborative studies, and multi-laboratory studies are encouraged.
- Matrix and Tissue Differentiation: Practical analytical strategies for distinguishing among fruiting bodies, mycelium, spores, residual growth substrates, and complex mixed matrices.
- Species Authentication and Fingerprinting: Targeted and non-targeted techniques, including HPTLC, HPLC/UHPLC, LC–MS/MS, GC–MS, NMR, DNA barcoding, spectroscopy, and chemometrics for detecting adulteration and economically motivated substitution.
- Finished Product and Formulation Testing: Robust testing approaches adapted to complex delivery matrices, including functional beverages, gummies, powders, and fortified foods.
- Reference Materials and Harmonization: Development and characterization of reference materials, calibration strategies, method harmonization approaches, and collaborative interlaboratory studies.
- Stability and Processing Impacts: Evaluation of bioactive degradation, extraction efficiency, and marker stability across processing, manufacturing, and storage conditions.
- Standards and Regulatory Frameworks: Risk-based specifications, monograph proposals, and quality metrics suitable for adoption by compendial bodies and implementation in routine quality control laboratories.
Submission Instructions and Author Guidelines
This special section is seeking original research articles and review articles that address the topics described above.
Manuscripts must be submitted through the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL online submission system. Authors should select the appropriate article type and journal section during submission and clearly indicate in the cover letter that the manuscript is intended for the “Functional Mushroom Quality and Characterization” special section.
Before submitting, authors should review the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL General Instructions for current manuscript preparation, formatting, authorship, figure, table, and submission requirements.
Manuscripts may be submitted beginning Monday, November 9, 2026, and must be submitted by Sunday, January 31, 2027.
Special Section Timeline
The anticipated timeline for manuscript submission, peer review, and publication is provided below.
- November 9, 2026-January 31, 2027 – Call for Papers and manuscript submission period
- January 31, 2027 – Manuscript submission deadline
- February-April 2027 – Peer review period
- April 2027 – First decisions issued to authors
- May 2027 – Revised manuscripts due
- June 2027 – Final review and acceptance decisions
- June-July 2027 – Copyediting, author queries, and final manuscript preparation
- July 2027 – Proof review and author corrections completed
- August 2027 – Final list of accepted papers confirmed, and issue lineup established
- October/November 2027 – Publication of the special section
For questions regarding the special section topic or potential manuscript submissions, please contact Kenny Xie ([email protected]). For questions regarding manuscript preparation, submission requirements, or journal policies, please contact Jennifer Diatz ([email protected]), Director of Publications, Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL.
