Can eating shark fin really prevent and cure cancer?

Researcher Wang Lei of the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that shark fins have no pharmacological effects. “An important reason why many people are keen to eat shark fins is that sharks do not cause cancer, but ordinary consumers do not know why sharks do not cause cancer. Cancer lies in its own unique serum and has nothing to do with shark fins."

In fact, shark fins are one of the eight delicacies of seafood and are expensive. However, a reporter from the "Economic Information Daily" recently visited and found that the prices of shark fin dishes in many hotels vary greatly, ranging from tens to hundreds of yuan per catty. Behind the price chaos, a black profit chain for selling artificial shark fins gradually emerged. The "three noes" artificial shark fins with no production date, no inspection mark, and no import mark were purchased by the hotel for tens of yuan and then changed hands. Thousands of dollars in high-end food for sale. Industry experts believe that consumers have long had misunderstandings about the nutritional value of shark fins. Even real shark fins have nutritional value equivalent to "pig's trotters" and "chicken skins." The unhealthy concept of shark fin consumption should end.

Twenty yuan "vegetarian shark fin" turns into a thousand yuan Haizhen

"Economic Information Daily" reporters conducted unannounced visits in Guangzhou, Jinan and other places in the name of opening hotels and found that in addition to easily selling hundreds of Real shark fins cost RMB 1,000 or more per kilogram. There is also another kind of "vegetarian shark fin" (synthetic shark fin) packaged in plastic bags on the market, which contains golden dried "vermicelli" and can be purchased for only 20 yuan. One pound.

Wang Shaobo, honorary president of the Guangzhou Seafood and Dried Fruit Industry Chamber of Commerce, said that China is the world’s largest importer of shark fins. With the development of our country’s economy and residents’ living standards, shark fins have increasingly become a popular “delicacy” on the dining table. . According to industry insiders, shark fins are made from the skinless meat of sharks such as the dorsal fin and tail fin. They are expensive. Due to different qualities, the wholesale price of 1 pound of boneless real shark fins ranges from 800 yuan to 3,000 yuan. The huge profit margin has prompted many unscrupulous traders to come up with "wrong ideas."

At Jinan City Seafood Market, a salesperson at a shark fin dealership told a reporter from the Economic Information Daily that according to different parts, shark fins are generally divided into golden hook fins and tooth-picking fins (main fins). , dorsal fin (fin only), the price will be determined based on factors such as shark species, fin location, shape and size, moisture content, fin rate, etc. Most restaurants generally use shark fin soup, and the wholesale price is about 600 yuan to 800 yuan per 500 grams. After professional cooking, including labor and seasoning costs, the cost of a bowl of genuine shark fin soup is about 60 yuan.

“If you use real shark fins to make a bowl of shark fin soup, the price per bowl in a restaurant will be at least 150 yuan. I dare say that the shark fins that cost tens of yuan a bowl are basically made from ‘vegetarian shark fins’ "

A vice president of the Guangzhou Dried Seafood Industry Chamber of Commerce told reporters that a bag of "vegetarian shark fin" weighing 500 grams and selling for 20 yuan can cook shark fins for more than a dozen people. Soup, a bowl of "vegetarian shark fin" soup costs only a few yuan.

The reporter visited some hotels in Guangzhou and found that the prices of shark fin soup sold in various hotels vary greatly. For example, the price of shark fin soup in some five-star hotels is 498 yuan or even 698 yuan. Based on this calculation, a pound of vegetarian shark fin costing 20 yuan can be processed into high-end shark fin priced at 6,000 yuan to 7,000 yuan. There are also shark fin products at the side stalls. A bowl of shark fin soup, which is similar to the picture on the menu and looks like a five-star hotel, costs as little as 48 yuan.

An can tell whether "I" is true or false

"Shark's fin is tasteless and depends entirely on the soup to simmer it." Chefs in Guangzhou, Jinan and other places told reporters that the key to making fake shark fins look like real ones lies in the cooking method and the soup. Yang Zhiqiang, vice president of the Guangzhou Seafood and Dried Fruit Industry Chamber of Commerce, told the Economic Information Daily reporter that since shark fin alone is not delicious and has a slightly fishy smell, the "deliciousness" of a bowl of shark fin soup mainly comes from its ingredients - —Soup made from ham, old chicken, etc. After adding the soup, the original flavor of the shark's fin is hidden in the soup, and you can't feel the difference between real and fake shark's fin when you eat it.

The "Economic Reference Wave" reporter's investigation found that real shark fins are in the shape of shark fins, while dried artificial shark fins are often rolled into vermicelli shapes, so they are easier to distinguish from their appearance. However, according to some chefs who cook shark fins, these "vegetarian shark fins" that don't even have fish meat can look fake and real. After special cooking, it is difficult for professional chefs to distinguish them.

An industry insider who did not want to be named told reporters that about 40% of the shark fins consumed in the domestic market are supported by "vegetarian shark fins", and the raw materials for processing are mainly "edible gelatin", and the cost Low prices and astonishing profits. "Among them, the 'vegetarian shark's fin' produced in Japan is the most fake. All kinds of soups and ingredients are prepared and can be put directly into the pot without cooking. Once it is cooked, it is difficult for even gourmet experts to distinguish the real from the fake." "

Wang Xinglan, president of the Shandong Shandong Cuisine Research Association, told reporters that some "shark fins" look neat and white in color, but it is still unknown whether there are "fins" in them, and they may have been drained. There are only a few "cartilage" left in the "fins"; most hotel owners only care about turnover and don't care about the authenticity of shark fins. Only the head chef responsible for purchasing can master this "secret".

According to Chef Liu, a sous chef at a hotel in Guangzhou, the ones with low prices can almost certainly be fakes, because the cost of real shark fins will not drop to tens of yuan per pound, but the ones with higher prices may not be. That's real shark fin. "For example, shark fin rice is usually mixed with thick soup and rice. Even consumers who often eat shark fin can't tell the difference between genuine and fake. It is not ruled out that some high-end hotels also make profits from this. After all, fake products can earn dozens of times. benefits," he said.

The reporter asked where these "vegetarian shark fins" came from, how they were imported, and which restaurants they sold to, but the sales staff refused to disclose.

The reporter learned from the sales staff at the Jinan Seafood Market and many shark fin dealerships in Guangzhou that so far we have not heard of anyone directly importing, producing and processing shark fins in Shandong. The shark fins in Shandong are all from Guangdong purchases goods directly, and the quantity purchased at one time can range from a few hundred kilograms to less than a hundred kilograms.

The nutrition of shark's fin is only equivalent to "pig's trotters"

"Economic Information News" reporter interviewed experts in nutrition, marine science and other industries and learned that the nutrition of shark's fin is only equivalent to "pig's trotters" "Chicken skin", the so-called "shark does not have cancer" consumption concept, actually lies in the unique serum of sharks and has nothing to do with shark fins.

Du Huizhen, vice president of Shandong Provincial Nutrition Society, said, "fins, ginseng, swallow, "Abalone" is one of the four top seafood in traditional Chinese dietary concepts. Ordinary consumers believe that shark fin is the first "top supplement". In fact, this concept is wrong.

According to Du Huizhen, shark fin The main nutritional component of shark fin is collagen, which contains an average of 80 grams of collagen per 100 grams. However, collagen is not the high-quality protein found in chicken, duck, and fish. The high price of shark fin is actually caused by the "rare things are more valuable" and is also affected by Affected by factors such as investor hype and people’s comparison mentality, the nutritional value is not particularly high. “Collagen is an incomplete protein and cannot be converted into complete protein without tryptophan. Its nutritional value is the same as that of pig trotters, chicken skin, and fish skin. Pretty much the same. "She said.

However, experts and industry insiders said that due to the lack of relevant standards, a bowl of shark fin soup contains limited nutrients and may pose many hidden dangers to consumers' health.

Du Huizhen and other experts said that sharks are at the top of the marine food chain, and the accumulation of heavy metals in their bodies is relatively common. Among them, the heavy metal mercury is mostly concentrated in shark fins. These heavy metals are likely to cause male infertility and damage the kidneys. and the central nervous system; however, because the overall consumption of shark fins in the country has been relatively small for a long time, the food testing department has not yet carried out routine testing of the mercury content of shark fins, and there has been no relevant investigation and punishment.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences. Wang Lei, a researcher at the Institute of Oceanography, said that shark fins have no pharmacological effects. “An important reason why many people are keen to eat shark fins is that sharks are not cancer-resistant, but ordinary consumers do not know that the reason why sharks are not cancer-resistant is that they have a unique serum , has nothing to do with shark fins. "

The reporter learned from the investigation that compared with the heavy metal problem of real shark fin, the problem of "vegetarian shark fin" is more prominent. The main component of "vegetarian shark fin" is the so-called "edible gelatin", because gelatin and leather protein The production process is basically the same, and it is difficult to determine the source of raw materials for refining "vegetarian shark fin". Since fake shark fin is basically a three-no product, its manufacturing process cannot be determined, so the possibility of using industrial materials cannot be ruled out.