How to tell cordyceps flower from cordyceps sinensis? How much was it per jin in 2018

Cordyceps flower looks very similar to common edible mushrooms such as shiitake and oyster mushrooms, only the strain, growing environment and growing conditions are different. So is it different from cordyceps sinensis? What was the price per jin in 2018? How do you tell them apart? According to mushroom encyclopedia data, “cordyceps flower” is not a flower; it is essentially the fruiting body of cordyceps, not the fruiting body of cordyceps sinensis. The culture medium imitates the various nutrients contained in natural insects, including grains, beans, eggs and milk, and so on, and it belongs to a type of fungus.

Is cordyceps flower different from cordyceps sinensis?

1. Cordyceps flower is a new type of food ingredient that has risen in recent years, available both dried and in fresh vacuum-sealed bags.

“Cordyceps flower” is not the flower of cordyceps sinensis; it is the artificially cultivated fruiting body of cordyceps. The culture medium imitates the various nutrients contained in natural insects, including grains, beans, eggs and milk, and so on, 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 are different.

Cordyceps flower is mild in nature, neither cold nor drying, and most people can eat it with confidence. It is rich in protein, amino acids, cordycepin, mannitol, SOD, polysaccharides and other components, 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. Cordyceps sinensis 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 to a grass? In summer, the spores of a fungus called cordyceps fungus mature, disperse, and germinate into hyphae that drill into the body of the larva of the ghost moth, absorbing nutrients from 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 are completely absorbed, only a stiff, dead empty shell remains, and of course it cannot 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 mouthparts of the larva and extends above the ground. The tip is slightly swollen, shaped like a stick, with many small spherical spores on the surface. These spores can fly and spread in the air, and in the grass it is unknown how many ghost moth larvae will become the living places of these spores.

What was the price of cordyceps flower per jin in 2018?

1. Cordyceps flower can generally be divided by appearance into pointed grass, round-headed grass, small spore head, large spore head, pupa-bearing 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 above 120, pupa-bearing generally above 180, and thick grass between 60 and 90.

2. According to the different culture media, it can also be divided into rice grass, wheat grass, and pupa grass. The market is currently 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 tell cordyceps flower apart?

1. Look at the packaging

Under the current domestic market environment, 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 department before it can produce, but the national food safety department itself has very strict requirements for the outer packaging of cordyceps flower. Legitimate packaging will list all information such as brand, manufacturer information, production date, shelf life and barcode. If any one of the above factors is missing, then it indirectly proves that such a cordyceps flower brand is not worth trusting.

2. Look at the color

Superior-quality cordyceps flower generally shows a golden yellow or orange-red color, and when cordyceps flower is held up to a bright place, a natural luster appears. In addition, after being exposed to sunlight for a long time, it will clearly fade, whereas on the contrary, if it has been treated with printing and dyeing techniques, fading will absolutely not occur.

3. Smell

High-quality cordyceps flower, after opening the packaging, 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.