Basa fish impersonating longli fish was fined 200,000 yuan! How to buy these two fish to avoid being cheated?

The meat is soft and tender, without small bones, and becomes more fragrant the more it is cooked. Many people have eaten this kind of fish in hot pot and spicy hot pot. The merchants claim that this fish is "Longli fish". However, is this fish that we love to see really Longli fish?

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Recently, a restaurant company in Shanghai was fined 200,000 yuan by the Shanghai Municipal Market Supervision Administration for using basa fish to impersonate longli fish. Why can basa fish be impersonated as longli fish? What exactly is basa fish, and what is the difference between it and longli fish?

01

Longli fish, Basa fish, it's hard to tell them apart

Longli fish is a special marine fish in my country. It is distributed in the coastal waters of my country and is a bottom-dwelling fish. It has more meat and fewer bones, and its appearance is similar to that of flounder. Because of its unique appearance, it is affectionately called pedal fish and cow tongue by Shandong people.

The flounder-like dragonfish | Tuchong Creative

Basa fish is a freshwater fish that lives in warm waters. It is a type of catfish. Its scientific name is Pangasius bovis. It is distributed in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, China (Yunnan), etc. It is an important freshwater aquatic product in Vietnam.

Basa fish is actually a catfish | Tuchong Creative

For us consumers, the texture, color and taste of these two kinds of fish are very similar, and it is difficult for ordinary diners to distinguish them, but there is a huge difference in the price of longli fish and basa fish. The price of high-quality longli fish fillets can range from more than 50 yuan to nearly 100 yuan per catty, while the price of basa fish is very low, and the wholesale price of basa fish is only in the single digit per catty.

Although the appearance of these two fish is very different, some people often freeze the fillets of basa fish and use machines to process them into shapes similar to those of longli fish, so that basa fish can be sold more easily. It is undoubtedly an act of passing inferior products off as good ones and deceiving consumers that such opportunistic merchants are fined by the Municipal Supervision Bureau.

02

Is longfish more expensive because it is more nutritious?

The main reason why longli fish is more expensive is not that it is more nutritious. First of all, the output of basa fish is much higher than that of longli fish. my country's basa fish is mainly imported from Vietnam. In Vietnam, basa fish has a mature breeding system that can quickly and high-quality breed high-quality basa fish. Since entering China in 2010, basa fish has been sold in the market for a period of time and has been loved by domestic consumers. The current annual import volume is 100,000 to 150,000 tons, and it is still increasing. As a marine product, longli fish is more difficult to catch and the cost is much higher than that of basa fish.

The domestic Basa fish is mainly imported from Vietnam | Tuchong Creative

On the other hand, the size of basa fish is obviously larger than that of longli fish, and the amount of meat available is also more. In general, the production cost and the amount of meat obtained from basa fish are obviously better than those from longli fish, so it is normal that basa fish is cheaper.

Is there a big difference in nutritional value between basa fish and longli fish? To determine this, scientists used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, nitrogen analyzers and other instruments to accurately measure the differences in nutritional content and safety between basa fish and longli fish.

Judging from the results, the fat and carbohydrate content of the two are similar, which are both at a relatively low level among fish. Both types of fish are rich in amino acids and fatty acids, and eating both is good for health. However, the crude protein proportion in longli fish (19.0%) is twice that of basa fish (9.8%), which is more in line with the high-protein, low-energy eating habits of modern people.

The test results of veterinary drug residues in fish meat showed that no veterinary drug ingredients were detected in longfish, while a small amount of hydrocortisone was detected in basa fish. However, the residue amount met the standards of my country's "Maximum Residue Limits of Veterinary Drugs in Animal Food". There is no problem with the food safety of these two types of fish.

The nutritional content of the delicious longli fish is actually not much different from that of basa fish | Tuchong Creative

03

It is not difficult to distinguish between the two types of fish

So how should we distinguish these two types of fish when we buy fish in our daily lives? The most direct way is to look at the price. If it is sold for more than ten yuan per catty, there is no need to ask, it must be Basa fish.

You can also look at the size. Because of the fish's body shape, the fillets made from longli fish are thinner, while the fillets from basa fish are thicker. Finally, look at the origin. If the origin is in Vietnam, then it is most likely imported basa fish.

In general, with basically similar nutritional components, longli fish has a higher protein content, and without affecting food safety, there are fewer veterinary drug residues in longli fish. Given the price difference of such fish, choosing which one to buy is a matter of personal preference.

Author: Xu Jiaxian, Biotechnology Major, Sun Yat-sen University

Review | Song Shuang, Associate Researcher, Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Editor | Jiang Fan

Editor | Ding Zong

References:

[1] Jiang Pengfei, Guo Minqiang, Qi Libo, Fu Xinxin, Dong Xiuping. Analysis of nutritional components and safety evaluation of basa fish and longli fish muscle[J]. Journal of Dalian Polytechnic University, 2018, 37(05): 340-344. DOI: 10.19670/j.cnki.dlgydxxb.2018.0505.

[2] Zhong Kai. Basa fish or longli fish, can you tell them apart? [J]. Encyclopedia Knowledge, 2017(03):51-52.

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