At present, sea cucumbers on the market can be roughly divided into five grades:
i. Pure wild sea cucumber
II. Wild sea cucumbers from artificial nurseries sown on the ocean floor
III. Sea cucumbers raised in intertidal weirs at the seashore
IV. Sea cucumbers cultured in shrimp pens or fish pens
v. Sea cucumbers artificially fed in sea cucumber ponds
vi. Sea cucumbers artificially fed in sea cucumber ponds
As you can see, the above five types of sea cucumbers are ranked in order of superiority.
The first type of pure wild sea cucumber lives in a relatively harsh environment, so the shape of the sea cucumber is different, characterized by large individual differences, some are long and thin, some are fat and short, the length of the thorns on the body is not the same, and the color is also dark and light. However, due to the Chinese people eat sea cucumber for a long time, and then there is a huge consumer crowd, in our country, the first kind of pure wild sea cucumber grown naturally in the sea is basically nowhere to be found.
The second type of sea cucumber, which is seeded on the bottom of the ocean with artificial seedlings, is costly, not less than 5,000 RMB per catty, and only the bottom-seeded wild sea cucumber is barely comparable to the pure wild sea cucumber. The bottom-seeded sea cucumber usually grows for 4 to 5 years before reaching the fishing standard, the longer the growth time, the more nutrients are deposited, the greater the tonic value.
The third type of sea cucumber farmed in intertidal cofferdams on the seashore refers to the sea cucumbers farmed in captivity using cofferdams along the coastline where there are rocks and reefs.
Below is a picture of a sea cucumber farmed by fishermen in Yantai, from Big and Small News
The fourth type of sea cucumber farmed in shrimp pens or fish pens, and the fifth type of sea cucumber artificially fed in sea cucumber ponds, are generally much less expensive than the second and third types, and therefore have no comparative nutritional value and health ingredients with the first three types.
Genuine sea cucumbers are expensive on the market, and the quality of various sea cucumbers on the market now varies, and it is not uncommon to see them being used as a substitute for a good one. The bad sea cucumber lacks the nutritional value, and can even harm health. In order to pursue profits, some merchants will use captive sea cucumbers to pretend to be bottom-seeded sea cucumbers and wild sea cucumbers. Therefore, it is very important to identify the good and bad sea cucumbers.
The following are the ways to judge wild sea cucumbers (bottom-seeded sea cucumbers are also counted as wild sea cucumbers) and captive sea cucumbers:
One. Sandy beak: The sandy beak of wild sea cucumber is big and hard.
ii. Bottom foot: wild sea cucumbers generally grow in the sea at a depth of about 30 meters, and search for food through the action of the bottom foot, so the bottom foot grows short and thick; while captive sea cucumbers do not need to move because of long-term consumption of bait put out by the breeding staff, and live in shallow water areas, the action of the bottom foot decreases, the adsorption is poor, and it becomes long and thin.
Three. Meat quality: wild sea cucumber because of the growth of deep waters, low water temperature, less sunshine, slow growth, meat thick and elastic, tendons wide and thick and full, deposited nutrients; and captive sea cucumber grows fast, the meat is flabby and not firm.
IV. Morphology: wild sea cucumber growth environment in the deeper seabed, in the absence of artificial feeding only the sea's natural nourishment in the growth of four or five years, although the body shape is not long, but plump and rounded, is spindle-shaped, the two ends of the tip of the middle thick, short and thick and fat, it looks very strong; and captive sea cucumbers generally live in the pool of shrimp or fish or feed feed, artificial feeding, a year, two years can be grown into, although the size of the larger, but the flesh Although the size is bigger, the meat is not thick. The sea cucumber is long and thin and lacks toughness
V. Back thorns: wild sea cucumbers grow in a harsh environment with many winds and waves, not enough bait, and more activities, the back and sides of the thorns are very thick, and the thickness varies; while captive sea cucumbers have a small wind and waves, rich bait, and fewer activities, and the thorns are long and thin.
VI. Color after soaking
For the same dried sea cucumber, the wild sea cucumber is dark brown, dark yellow or black after soaking, which is the original color of the sea cucumber; while the "captive sea cucumber" may be green after soaking
The wild sea cucumber is dark brown, dark yellow or black after soaking.