Black fungus is hailed as the "King of Vegetarian Foods" for its high nutritional value. However, experts warn consumers that some unscrupulous vendors often use ink to dye common earth ears black to pass them off as black fungus. Therefore, black fungus is not necessarily the better for being darker, and consumers should carefully distinguish it by methods such as observing its color and smelling its aroma.
It is understood that black fungus is rich in nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins, making it extremely nutritious. At the same time, black fungus is rich in plant collagen, which has a strong adsorption effect. It can dissolve and oxidize foreign objects that are accidentally ingested and difficult to digest, such as husks, hair, and sand. Therefore, eating black fungus regularly can help clean the digestive tract and cleanse the stomach and intestines. For workers in industries with severe air pollution, such as mining, metallurgy, and cotton and wool spinning, regular consumption of black fungus can have good health benefits.
In addition, a survey in China claims that for people with high blood pressure and high blood lipids, eating dishes made with 3 grams of dried black fungus daily can reduce the risk of stroke and myocardial infarction by one-third. According to Song Xin, this is because black fungus inhibits platelet aggregation and lowers blood coagulation, with effects comparable to enteric-coated aspirin, earning it the nickname "Food Aspirin".
However, food experts from Shandong Province report that some unscrupulous vendors dye common earth ears black to deceive consumers. It is understood that common earth ears are artificially cultivated by sprinkling earth ear fungus on sawdust and straw, and can sometimes grow on their own in damp places. They have no nutritional value and their cost is very low; the wholesale price for a jin of earth ears is only about ten yuan. But after being dyed, it transforms into "nutritious black fungus" and can be sold for nearly fifty to sixty yuan per jin. The counterfeiters typically pour the earth ears into an iron pot full of hot water, add a certain amount of ink, and the originally yellow-brown earth ears turn into black "black fungus".
At the same time, because black fungus has a strong absorption capacity, it can absorb many other substances, including sugar and salt. Some unscrupulous vendors also often use the chemical magnesium sulfate to soak the black fungus to increase its weight, allowing one jin of black fungus to "gain" two to three jin. However, as a chemical agent, magnesium sulfate can also be used as a laxative and is strictly prohibited from being added to food.
Experts remind consumers that black fungus is not necessarily the better for being darker. Consumers can distinguish between real and fake by observing the color. The real black fungus is blackish-brown on the front and whitish-gray on the back, while earth ears are yellow-brown, and木耳 soaked in magnesium sulfate is blackish-brown on both sides. At the same time, real black fungus has a natural, fresh aroma, whereas adulterated fungus has a foul smell of ink. When "processed" "black fungus" is soaked in clear water, the water quickly turns ink-black. Furthermore, real black fungus is fragrant and delicious to chew, while fungus soaked in magnesium sulfate is bitter and astringent, making it difficult to swallow.