The Characteristics and Identification of Genuine Longan Meat and Its Adulterants

　　Longan meat, also known as Yizhi, Mipi, and dried longan. It has the effects of tonifying the heart and spleen, nourishing blood and calming the mind. It is commonly used in clinical practice for deficiency of qi and blood, palpitations, forgetfulness, insomnia, and blood deficiency and yellowing. Currently, due to its low production, coupled with the increasing demand for this product in the pharmaceutical industry, health product production, and clinical use, the supply of this product has been scarce and the price has been high. In the market, some unscrupulous individuals mix a large amount of similar-shaped and colored adulterants such as brown sugar, jam, and dried fruits into longan meat, and after processing, they pass off as genuine, increase the weight, and seek huge profits, seriously endangering people's health. The appearance of the adulterants is extremely similar to the genuine product. The following are the characteristics and identification of longan meat and its adulterants for reference.

　　1. Longan meat

　　It is an irregular thin slice, often sticking together. It is 15mm long, 20-40mm wide, and about 1mm thick. It is yellow-brown to brown, semi-transparent, with wrinkled and uneven outer surface, and relatively bright inner surface with fine longitudinal wrinkles. The texture is soft and moist, with a slight fragrance and a sweet taste. Its cells contain calcium oxalate crystals, which are needle-shaped, rod-shaped, or clustered.

　　2. Adulterated dried fruits

　　Mixed with processed and colored raisins, cherries, etc., the shape and size are somewhat similar to longan meat, and they are yellow to brown. They often stick together in thin slices, with traces of artificial processing, irregular and wrinkled surface. It has a heavy sweetness and a slight fragrance. It has a heavier weight, loses color when soaked in water, and has a slightly sweet taste.

　　3. Adulterated jam

　　Mixed with processed jam, similar in size to longan meat, it is yellow to brown, with granular substances mixed in between, meat skin adsorbs impurities, poor gloss, and no fine longitudinal wrinkles can be seen. The slices often stick together, with varying sizes. When carefully separated, jam can often be found in the center of the longan meat. It has a sweet taste, a fragrant smell, is sticky, has a moist feeling, and is prone to moisture absorption. It has a heavier weight, turns yellow-brown when soaked in water, and has more sediment, with a sweet taste.

　　4. Adulterated brown sugar

　　It is processed by soaking in a concentrated solution of brown sugar, with a shape and size similar to longan meat, and is yellow to brown. It has the appearance of candied fruit, with a significantly increased thickness of about 1.5mm, slices often stick together, and sizes vary. When carefully separated, it can be found that the longan meat wrapped in sugar. It has a heavy sweetness, a slight fragrance, is sticky, and prone to moisture absorption. It has a heavier weight, turns yellow-brown when soaked in water, with sediment, and has a sweet taste.