The More Fragrant The Mushrooms, The Better? Mushroom Experts Say "don't Buy It!" The Reason Tells You

"The shiitake mushrooms are so strong, the quality must be good!" Beware of falling into the "shiitake" mushroom myth! Mushroom experts remind that the more fragrant the shiitake mushrooms are, it means that the shiitake mushrooms have become wet and the risk of mildew is high. Be careful to eat mold and toxins!

Shiitake mushrooms emit fragrance when they meet water, which means that the tide

is less than a month before the Lunar New Year. Many housewives are preparing to buy New Year's goods. Shiitake mushrooms, which are regarded as noble and long-lived, are a must-have for Chinese New Year dishes. Dr. Lu Yunsheng, assistant researcher of the Plant Pathology Group of the Agricultural Research Institute, said that everyone likes to use the fragrance of shiitake mushrooms as the first choice for purchasing, but in fact, experienced people know that good shiitake mushrooms have a strong fragrance after soaking in water. Therefore, when purchasing shiitake mushrooms, there is a strong fragrance when you smell it: no doubt, it means that the shiitake mushrooms are damp, and the fragrance is emitting along with the water molecules. This kind of shiitake mushrooms may smell very fragrant when bought back, but there is no shiitake mushroom taste when eating.

The humidity of freshly dried shiitake mushrooms is 13%, and if it exceeds 20%, there is a risk of mildew. At this time, the humidity of shiitake mushrooms is generally 13%. It feels like a biscuit. If you break it hard, it will break. If it is too dry, it is only 8%, and it will break when you touch it. If the humidity exceeds 20%, the shiitake mushrooms are at risk of mildewing. Such shiitake mushrooms are hard to the touch and have toughness and are difficult to break or smash by hand.

Mushrooms are mildewed and may be contaminated with Penicillium and Yellow Molds, both of which are poisonous molds and may also produce carcinogenic aflatoxin, so as soon as you open the package, you will smell a strong mushroom odor. fragrantDo not buy shiitake mushrooms.

Recognizing the Taiwan Mushroom Label, the quality is guaranteed

It is best to choose mushrooms with the Taiwan Mushroom Label of the Taiwan Mushroom Association, and the quality is guaranteed. But if you are buying shiitake mushrooms in bulk, you should pay attention to your choice. Lu Yunsheng said that when buying bulk mushrooms in hypermarkets, you should choose those with production experience. Buying bulk shiitake mushrooms is the most afraid of smuggling. Currently, Taiwan has not approved the export of Chinese shiitake mushrooms and fungus to Taiwan. In addition, some Chinese shiitake mushrooms are "washed" in other countries and then exported to Taiwan in large quantities. Due to the large differences in the quality of shiitake mushroom cultivation in mainland China, some shiitake mushrooms may have pesticide and heavy metal residues.

Lu Yunsheng reminds you to pay attention to the appearance when purchasing dried shiitake mushrooms in bulk. To know whether the dried shiitake mushrooms are moist, you can look at the inside of the shiitake mushrooms. Taiwan shiitake mushrooms are completely dried, and the inner gills are mostly light yellow. The smuggled dried shiitake mushrooms in China are not completely dehydrated or deliquescent or deliquescence. The color of the inner gills of shiitake mushrooms changes from light yellow to light brown or even dark brown. Seeing this kind of shiitake mushroom, even if it smells good, it is best not to buy it, so as not to buy spoiled shiitake mushrooms.

When purchasing dried shiitake mushrooms in bulk, you should pay more attention to the fact that Taiwan shiitake mushrooms will have 1-2 cm stems left when they are harvested, because Taiwan mushroom farmers will immediately send the shiitake mushrooms to the dryer after picking. , Rapid dehydration makes the surface of shiitake mushrooms more wrinkled. In order to save costs, Chinese farmers usually dehydrate them in the sun for many days and then dry them, because the dehydration time is long, and the surface is smooth and wrinkle-free. In addition, in order to save transportation costs, China is accustomed to cutting the stems of mushrooms short, and usually only the surface of the mushrooms is retained, so if you findThe shiitake mushrooms purchased have almost no umbrella handles, so beware of smuggled goods.

Tips for buying Japanese mushrooms

Because of the influence of Japanese colonial culture, many older Taiwanese people have a deep-rooted belief that "Japanese mushrooms are superior to Taiwanese mushrooms". Lu Yunsheng said that Japanese shiitake mushrooms are "flower mushrooms". This is because the origin of Japanese shiitake mushrooms is relatively cold. Under the conditions of large temperature difference between day and night and low humidity, the umbrella top will produce natural cracked lines, which look like flowers. Taiwan's climate does not have such an environment, so it is difficult to cultivate them. Mushrooms.

However, some production areas in China are also in dry and cold climates, and they will also be imported as Japanese mushrooms. Lu Yunsheng reminded that China has a continental climate with drier humidity than Japan, so the chance of shiitake mushrooms cracking when growing is high, but most of them have deep crack patterns, while Japanese mushrooms have shallower cracks. Chinese flower mushrooms also cut umbrella handles, but Japan and Taiwan, like Taiwan, will retain 1 or 2 cm umbrella handles, so you should identify them when purchasing flower mushrooms.

Don't buy unidentified filamentous mushrooms

Lyu Yunsheng said that high-grade mushrooms are sold in whole, only when the growth appearance is poor, or the mushroom umbrella is damaged and the quality is poor, the mushroom farmers will quickly shred and dry. If the shredded shiitake mushrooms with the Taiwan logo are used, the quality is guaranteed, but if it is smuggled shredded shiitake mushrooms, it is very dangerous. The smuggled filamentous shiitake mushrooms are usually found by the merchants to be damp or mildewed. Quickly add water to rehydrate them to soften them, cut them into shreds, and then dry them. Therefore, it is easy to carry molds such as mold or aflatoxin.Bacterial toxins are equivalent to eating a stomach of toxins, don't buy them.

◎ Image source/Provided by Dr. Lu Yunsheng, assistant researcher of the Plant Pathology Group of the Agricultural Research Institute

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