The surface of salt-dried sea cucumbers is usually covered with a layer of salt particles or salt foam, so the surface is white, and the clear skin and small feet cannot be seen. The state stipulates that the salt content should be below 40% and the moisture content should not exceed 12%. The volume of good-quality salt-dried hair may be about five times greater.

The production process of salt-dried sea cucumbers is mainly to boil fresh sea cucumbers in salt water, then wrap them in salt (or mix with plant ash) and dry them (sun-dried) 2 to 3 times. Due to the process of coating it with salt (or mixing with plant ash) to remove moisture during its processing, the individual sea cucumbers are generally larger than light-dried sea cucumbers. The salt content in the product is relatively high. Due to the different times of salt coating, the salt content range is wide. For the salt content of dried sea cucumbers, SC/T 3206-2009 "Dried Sea Cucumbers" stipulates that it is ≤12%~40% according to different grades.

The salt content of salt-dried sea cucumbers produced by standardized processing techniques should be controlled at ≤40%. Unstandardized production methods, especially some unscrupulous traders who wrap salt in them multiple times in order to gain weight during processing, lead to salt content. The content is as high as 80% or more. The purpose of wrapping sea cucumbers with plant ash is to prevent insect pests from damaging the product and moisture. However, in order to gain weight, some vendors add excessive amounts of plant ash, which makes the sea cucumber taste bitter and reduces the content of active ingredients, affecting the quality.

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Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

Convenient transportation and storage, with a shelf life of more than 10 years; low processing costs , does not require complex equipment and too much cost.

Disadvantages

Difficult to absorb: Sea cucumber protein has a large molecular weight and the human body lacks enzymes to decompose it, so its active ingredients are difficult to absorb. With less than 20% of the remaining nutrients, the human body can only absorb and utilize 50% of the nutrients.

The production is cumbersome: Dried sea cucumbers require a long time of watering, soaking and cooking. The procedures are complicated and troublesome, and the technical requirements are high, making it difficult for ordinary families to complete. Many people buy them through sea cucumber dealers.

Unsafe: Because sea cucumbers are difficult to store, some vendors add toxic substances such as formalin to keep them fresh for a long time and gain weight, causing potential harm to the body.