Hard to Tell Real Black Corn from Fake? Here Are a Few Practical Ways to Identify It

Black corn is a hybrid variety and is rarely seen on the market. At present, it is only grown in the northern regions of Liaoning and Anhui, the southern region of Guangdong, the southwestern region of Sichuan, and the northwestern region of Xinjiang, so many people sell fakes as the real thing. So how do you identify real black corn from fake?

1. How do you identify real black corn from fake?

To tell whether black corn is real, you can look at the color of the water after soaking it and at the corn cob. Generally, after black corn is soaked in water for a while, the water turns the color of ink. The corn cob is purplish red.

2. What varieties of black corn are there?

1. Black Pearl: The Black Pearl plant is 2.4 m tall, with a double-ear rate of 95%. The fresh ear harvest period is 80-85 days, and the grain maturation period is 105 days. Fresh ears eaten cooked have thin skin, no residue, and are both sweet and fragrant. It has good stress resistance, wide adaptability, and high yield, with dry grain yields reaching 450 kg per mu.

2. Heinuo No. 1: The Heinuo No. 1 plant is 250-270 cm tall. The grains are round; when young and tender they appear purple in daylight, and when mature the grains are black as ink and glossy. It has strong drought and cold resistance. It is resistant to large and small spot disease, is not sensitive to light and temperature conditions, and yields 900-1,100 kg of fresh ears per mu.

3. Heinuo No. 2: The Heinuo No. 2 plant is 1.6 m tall, the ear is 12 cm long, the ear is conical, the grains are relatively small, and the plant shape is compact; after maturity and drying, the grains are black and shriveled. It tastes good, is sticky and fragrant with no residue, and is a medium-maturing, early-leaning hybrid variety, with a suitable density of 4,000 plants per mu.

4. Heinuo No. 3: The summer-sown growth period of Heinuo No. 3 is 96 days; the ear is cone-shaped, the double-ear rate is relatively high, and the 1,000-grain weight is 260 g. The grains are of the hard, waxy type and are neatly arranged. Fresh ears are purple and turn black after drying. The fresh ears taste excellent, disease resistance is relatively good, the stalk is hard, and it is resistant to lodging, with a yield of 470 kg per mu.

At present, the more commonly grown varieties of black corn on the market include Heinuo No. 1, Heinuo No. 2, Heinuo No. 3, and Black Pearl sweet corn, so pay attention when buying.