How to judge the quality of Cordyceps sinensis from its tactile sensation
Abstract: Cordyceps sinensis is produced on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau in China. The differences in latitude and longitude, altitude drop of thousands of meters, and ecological environment among different production areas result in certain time differences in harvesting seasons.
Cordyceps sinensis is produced on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau in China, with large differences in latitude and longitude, thousands of meters of altitude drop, and ecological environment among different production areas, resulting in certain time differences in harvesting seasons in different regions. In each harvesting area of Cordyceps sinensis, when the soil layer thaws and the vegetation turns green, full sporangia grow from the “grass head” of Cordyceps sinensis, and it takes about a month for the spores to mature and be released, which is the optimal harvesting period. During this period, the harvested Cordyceps sinensis was divided into “head grass”, “second grass”, and “third grass” according to the time and quality.
Head grass has the best quality, around ten days before the harvest period. At this time, the mycelium of Cordyceps sinensis will biotransform the nutrients in the worm body and provide a large amount of them to the sporangium to facilitate its maturity. The Cordyceps sinensis is hard, and the content of essence is the highest. The quality of the “two grasses” located in the middle for about ten days is second, while the sporangia at the top of the “grass head” of Cordyceps sinensis are close to maturity. Cordyceps sinensis is rich in nutrients and has a hard texture. The “three herbs” of Cordyceps sinensis no longer have medicinal value. At this point, the ascospores at the top of the “grass head” of Cordyceps sinensis have been partially or completely released, and the nutritional conversion and absorption of the insect body have been exhausted. The body of Cordyceps sinensis becomes empty and soft, and harmful substances such as heavy metals in the surrounding soil are prone to seep back into the insect body. These “three grasses” are no longer edible. There are many illegal vendors who pass off inferior “three herbs” as good and mix them into cordyceps to obtain illegal income.
The density of beneficial components in Cordyceps sinensis is closely related to its plumpness, which in turn is closely related to individual size. Overall, the larger the cordyceps, the fuller it is, and the lower the probability of wilting. The smaller the cordyceps, the worse the plumpness, and the higher the proportion of wilting. The cordyceps that grows very plump will not deform when pinched by hand, and you can clearly feel that the body is very stiff. The more severe the deformation and the softer the feeling when pinched, the less plump the cordyceps is.
Therefore, the larger the size of Cordyceps sinensis, the better its internal and external quality that does not deform when pinched. However, at the same time, the larger the size of cordyceps, the lower its production and the higher its price. Its cost-effectiveness is not the highest, and consumers do not need to deliberately pursue cordyceps with large specifications. They should choose the most suitable cordyceps for their own consumption based on their actual situation.
