What Is the Difference Between Cordyceps Flower and Chinese Caterpillar Fungus? Detailed Guide to Price Per Jin and How to Identify Them

Cordyceps flower is very similar to common edible mushrooms such as shiitake and oyster mushrooms, only the strain, growing environment and growing conditions differ. So is there a difference between it and Chinese caterpillar fungus? What is the price per jin? How do you identify it? According to fungal encyclopedia data, “cordyceps flower” is not a flower; it is in essence the fruiting body of cordyceps, not the fruiting body of Chinese caterpillar fungus. The culture medium imitates the various nutrients contained in natural insects, including grains, beans, eggs and dairy, and it belongs to a type of fungus.

Is there a difference between cordyceps flower and Chinese caterpillar fungus?

1. Cordyceps flower is a new type of food ingredient that has risen in popularity in recent years; it comes in dried form and also fresh in vacuum bags.

“Cordyceps flower” is not the flower of Chinese caterpillar fungus; it is the artificially cultivated fruiting body of cordyceps, and the culture medium imitates the various nutrients contained in natural insects, including grains, beans, eggs and dairy, and it belongs to a type of fungus. It is very similar to common edible mushrooms such as shiitake and oyster mushrooms, only the strain, growing environment and growing conditions differ.

Cordyceps flower has a mild nature, being neither cooling nor drying, so most people can eat it with peace of mind. It is rich in protein, amino acids, and components such as cordycepin, mannitol, SOD and polysaccharides, among which cordycepic acid and cordycepin can comprehensively regulate the internal environment of the human body, enhance the function of macrophages in the body, and have a certain effect on strengthening and regulating human immune function and improving the body's disease resistance.

2. Chinese caterpillar fungus is the name of a medicine, and its appearance is particularly peculiar: in winter it is an insect, and in summer it is a grass. So how does it change from an insect into a grass? In summer, the spores of a fungus called cordyceps fungus mature, scatter, and then germinate into hyphae that drill into the body of the larva of the ghost moth, absorbing nutrients from inside the larva's body. The larva of the ghost moth hides in the soil, and at this time the cordyceps fungus grows many filamentous bodies, called mycelium. Because the nutrients in the larva's body have been completely absorbed, only a stiff, dead empty shell remains, and of course it can no longer become a ghost moth. In the spring and summer of the following year, when the temperature and weather are suitable, the mycelium grows out from the larva's mouthparts and extends above the ground. The tip is slightly swollen and looks like a club, with many small spherical spores on the surface. These spores can dance in the air and spread, and who knows how many ghost moth larvae in the grass will become the living places of these spores.

What is the price of cordyceps flower per jin?

1. According to appearance, cordyceps flower can generally be divided into pointed grass, round-headed grass, small spore head, large spore head, pupa grass and thick grass, among which pointed grass and round-headed grass are relatively popular, with prices between 45 and 70; small spore head is generally above 80, large spore head is above 120, pupa grass is generally above 180, and thick grass is between 60 and 90.

2. According to the different culture media, it can also be divided into rice grass, wheat grass and pupa grass, and the market currently is dominated by wheat grass; if it is rice, the price will be correspondingly about 20 more expensive, and pupa grass about 200 more expensive (pupa grass without pupae).

How do you identify cordyceps flower?

1. Look at the packaging

Under the current overall market environment in China, the number of enterprises producing cordyceps flower is very large; you should know that a legitimate food enterprise not only needs to obtain a business license from the relevant national authorities before it can produce, but the national food safety authorities themselves have very strict requirements for the outer packaging of cordyceps flower. Legitimate packaging will list the brand, manufacturer information, production date, shelf life and barcode and all other information; if any one of the above factors is missing, then it indirectly proves that such a cordyceps flower brand is not worthy of trust.

2. Look at the color

Top-quality cordyceps flower generally presents a golden-yellow or orange-red color, and when cordyceps flower is held up against a bright place it shows a natural luster; in addition, after being exposed to sunlight for a long time it will clearly fade, whereas by contrast, if it has been dyed using printing and dyeing techniques, fading will absolutely not occur.

3. Smell

High-quality cordyceps flower, after the packaging is opened, will greet you with a milky aroma, whereas if it is poor-quality cordyceps flower, there will be a very pungent smell, and it may even have a musty odor.