Beware of Counterfeit Longan: How to Identify Genuine Fruit Dried

Longan, also known as longan, round eye, Guiyuan, Yizhi, honey spleen, dried longan, etc., has the functions of nourishing the heart and spleen, nourishing blood, and calming the mind. The rarity of the fruit has led some unscrupulous individuals to mix large amounts of fruit dried, jam, brown sugar, and other miscellaneous items that have similar shapes and colors to longan. After processing, they pass off as genuine, increase the weight, and seek exorbitant profits, which harm people's health. Because the appearance of the counterfeit goods is extremely similar to the genuine ones, one should be careful when buying, focus on key features, and carefully identify them. Genuine characteristics Longan meat is generally irregular and thin slices, often sticking together. It is about 1.5 centimeters long, 1.3-4 centimeters wide, and about 1 millimeter thick. It is yellowish-brown to brown, semi-transparent, with wrinkled and uneven outer surface, and relatively shiny inner surface with fine longitudinal wrinkles. The texture is soft and moist, with a slight fragrance and sweet taste. The cells contain calcium oxalate crystals, which are needle-shaped, rod-shaped, or cluster-shaped. Characteristics of counterfeit fruit dried Characteristics of counterfeit brown sugar: It is processed by soaking in high-concentration brown sugar water, and its shape and size are similar to longan. It is yellowish-brown to brown. It has the appearance of candied fruit, and the thickness of the meat increases to about 1.5 millimeters, often sticking together in slices of different sizes. If carefully separated, sugar can be found wrapped inside the stuck longan meat. It has a strong sugary taste, a slight fragrance, stickiness, and is prone to moisture absorption. It is relatively heavy, the water it is soaked in is yellowish-brown with sediment, and it tastes sweet. Characteristics of counterfeit jam: The shape and size of the processed counterfeit jam are similar to longan. It is yellowish-brown to brown, with granular substances mixed in between. The meat skin adheres to impurities, with poor glossiness and no fine longitudinal wrinkles. It often sticks together in slices of different sizes. If carefully separated, jam can often be found in the center of the meat. It has a sweet taste, a pleasant aroma, stickiness, a moist feeling, and is prone to moisture absorption. It is relatively heavy, the water it is soaked in is yellowish-brown with more sediment, and it tastes sweet. Characteristics of counterfeit dyed raisins and cherries: The shape and size of the processed counterfeit dyed raisins, cherries, etc., are similar to longan. They are yellowish-brown to brown and often stick together in slices. There are traces of artificial processing, irregular thin slices, and wrinkled and uneven surfaces. It has a strong sugary taste and a slight fragrance. It is relatively heavy, loses color when soaked in water, and has a slightly sweet taste.