Nutrition & Food

·

Study

Mushroom-Fed Fly Larvae Produce Huge Amounts of Vitamin D

Mushroom-Fed Fly Larvae Produce Huge Amounts of Vitamin D

Button mushroom

What they found

Fly larvae fed button mushrooms under UVB produced up to 514 µg/g of vitamin D2.

Fly larvae fed button mushrooms under UVB produced up to 514 µg/g of vitamin D2.

The number

up to 514 µg/g of D₂ and 476 µg/g of D₃

How solid is it?

Field study

Field study

Field/ecology

Field/ecology

Evidence ladder: Lab dish → Animal → Early human → Strong human. Reviews summarize earlier research.

At a glance

Latin name

Agaricus bisporus

Agaricus bisporus

Compound

vitamin D₂, vitamin D₃

vitamin D₂, vitamin D₃

Published in

Future Foods

Future Foods

Covered in Shroom Scan

Section

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

As it ran in Shroom Scan

Vitamin D Bombs

Vitamin D Bombs

When black soldier fly larvae were fed white button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) and exposed to UVB light, they produced huge amounts of vitamins D₂ and D₃—up to 514 µg/g of D₂ and 476 µg/g of D₃. That’s over 250 times the daily recommended intake per gram. This approach could turn food waste into a sustainable, nutrient-dense protein source for animals or even humans.

When black soldier fly larvae were fed white button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) and exposed to UVB light, they produced huge amounts of vitamins D₂ and D₃—up to 514 µg/g of D₂ and 476 µg/g of D₃. That’s over 250 times the daily recommended intake per gram. This approach could turn food waste into a sustainable, nutrient-dense protein source for animals or even humans.

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