How to distinguish the quality of sea cucumbers

Everyone knows that sea cucumbers are rich in nutrients, but the sea cucumber market is a mixed bag. Although they are all sea cucumbers, there are huge differences between them. Some people often complain when buying sea cucumbers, wondering why the sea cucumbers they buy are always inferior products. In fact, there is a method to select sea cucumbers. Once we have mastered the method of selecting sea cucumbers, we will not be afraid of buying fake sea cucumbers.

How to identify the quality of sea cucumbers?

1. Choose sea cucumbers by color

The normal color of dried sea cucumbers is not fixed, it is generally brown, gray-black, sometimes dark and sometimes light. The most intuitive way to identify it is that you can clearly see the attached objects on the surface of the sea cucumber, and light rubbing will cause the attached objects to fall off. Salt is required for the processing of sea cucumbers, and the residue on the surface of sea cucumbers that only have salt added is naturally salt, so if this kind of sea cucumber is not treated in any way to change its color, it will naturally be the white color of salt. After washing, the color should be mainly yellowish brown. The color of the sea cucumber will vary due to the different sea cucumber production areas or the different salt content. The most common sugar-dried sea cucumber on the market is black because sugar has the effect of coloring.

2. Observe the shape of the sea cucumber. The so-called shape of the sea cucumber refers to whether the sea cucumber is fat or thin, plump or shriveled. There is a saying that the quality of sea cucumbers can be judged by their fullness, which means that a full body of dried sea cucumbers indicates that the meat of the sea cucumbers is relatively thick, so dried sea cucumbers with relatively full bodies are of better quality.

3. Feel the dried sea cucumber in the palm of your hand. It should feel light and not hefty. If it feels heavy and like a stone of the same size, it is definitely a low-quality sea cucumber with a lot of additives. In addition, use your hands to bend both ends of the sea cucumber in the same direction. The sea cucumber should not bend, otherwise it means that the sea cucumber is not dry enough or contains a large amount of sugar.

4. Smell: The smell of sea cucumbers should have a fishy smell, without the pungent smell of chemicals. The fishy smell of sea cucumbers will vary depending on their growth methods and environments. The degree of fishy smell of dried sea cucumbers often depends on their processing process. The fishy smell of sea cucumbers that have been repeatedly soaked and pickled will definitely be diluted and weakened.

5. Expansion rate: Many people believe that expansion rate is the most effective way to judge the quality of dried sea cucumbers. Theoretically, this is correct. When promoting dried sea cucumbers, merchants will boast that their sea cucumbers have a high expansion rate, which can reach twelve times or even fifteen times. However, the data they are talking about should be tested under strict experimental conditions, which have relatively stringent requirements. It is often difficult for ordinary consumers to accurately grasp these during the production process.