Blue California Showcases Ergothioneine and Functional Beverage Innovation at IFT FIRST 2024
Rancho Santa Margarita, California (August 05, 2025) — Blue California showcased science-backed ingredients and functional food and beverage concepts at the Institute of Food Technologists’ IFT FIRST Annual Event & Expo, held in Chicago on July 2024.
The company’s participation centered on healthy aging, cognitive health, reduced-sugar beverages, nature-inspired flavors, and formulation technologies designed to help product developers create differentiated food, beverage, and dietary supplement products.
Ergothioneine and healthy longevity presentation
Dr. Linda May-Zhang, Vice President of Science and Innovation at Blue California, and Robert B. Beelman, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Food Science at Pennsylvania State University, presented “Harnessing Mushroom Nutrients for Longevity: Innovations in Food & Beverage” on the IFT FIRST Business FIRST stage.
The presentation explored the emerging science of L-ergothioneine, a naturally occurring amino acid antioxidant found most abundantly in mushrooms. Ergothioneine has been proposed as a “longevity vitamin” because of its potential importance in healthy aging and the presence of a dedicated transporter, OCTN1/ETT, that enables the human body to absorb and retain it.
Dr. May-Zhang also presented preliminary findings from Blue California’s clinical trial of ErgoActive® L-ergothioneine in older adults with subjective memory concerns. The study evaluated the effects of daily ergothioneine supplementation on cognitive performance, subjective memory, sleep, blood ergothioneine concentrations, and other health-related outcomes.
Functional food and beverage concepts featuring ErgoActive®
Visitors experienced two product concepts demonstrating how ErgoActive® can be incorporated into everyday food and beverage formats.
MoodBrew® Longevity Coffee with ErgoActive®
Developed in collaboration with MoodBrew®, this functional coffee concept combined ErgoActive® L-ergothioneine with other functional ingredients in a smooth, full-bodied beverage. The formulation contained less caffeine than conventional coffee, with a caffeine level comparable to tea.
The concept demonstrated how ergothioneine can be incorporated into familiar daily-use products designed for the healthy-aging and cognitive-health markets.
Reduced-sugar lavender lemonade with ErgoActive®
Blue California also served a lavender lemonade formulated with ErgoActive® and 60% less sugar. The concept brought together complementary capabilities from Blue California and its affiliated companies:
- ErgoActive® L-ergothioneine from Blue California
- Sugar-reduction technology from Sweegen
- Bio-based floral flavors from Sensegen
The beverage demonstrated how functional ingredients, sugar reduction, and distinctive flavor systems can be combined in a refreshing, consumer-friendly format.
Additional formulation solutions
Blue California’s team also met with food and beverage professionals to discuss ingredient and formulation solutions, including:
- Healthy-aging and cognitive-health ingredients
- Nature-inspired specialty ingredients
- Titanium dioxide alternatives
- Encapsulation and delivery-system services
- Flavors and fragrances
- Reduced-sugar food and beverage development
Blue California works with brands and product developers from initial concept through formulation and commercialization.
Clinical study publication update
The ergothioneine clinical trial discussed at IFT FIRST 2024 was subsequently published in the peer-reviewed journal Nutraceuticals in June 2025.
The 16-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial included 147 adults aged 55–79 who received 10 mg of ErgoActive®, 25 mg of ErgoActive®, or placebo daily. Supplementation produced dose-dependent increases in plasma ergothioneine. The study also reported improvements in subjective prospective memory and sleep initiation, with statistically significant effects at 25 mg.
Read the complete study:
Zajac IT, Kakoschke N, Kuhn-Sherlock B, May-Zhang LS. “The Effect of Ergothioneine Supplementation on Cognitive Function, Memory, and Sleep in Older Adults with Subjective Memory Complaints: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.” Nutraceuticals. 2025;5(3):15. https://doi.org/10.3390/nutraceuticals5030015
About ErgoActive® L-ergothioneine
ErgoActive® is Blue California’s high-purity, nature-identical L-ergothioneine produced through precision fermentation. It is water soluble, heat stable, and neutral in taste and odor, making it suitable for dietary supplements and a broad range of functional food and beverage applications.
ErgoActive® is the subject of FDA GRAS Notice GRN 734.
Contact Blue California to discuss ErgoActive®, functional ingredient formulation, flavor development, sugar reduction, titanium dioxide alternatives, or encapsulation solutions for your next product.