How to choose good quality red caviar

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

How to choose good quality red caviar - all fans of this delicacy are interested in this question. Let's turn to expert advice on how to buy a natural and tasty product.

The most delicious and best caviar

When purchasing red caviar, every buyer should know that there is no such product as salmon caviar. There are salmon breeds in nature, their group includes: trout, sockeye salmon, pink salmon, chum salmon and 9 more species.

By its chemical composition, caviar of all types is the same, rich in proteins, fats, vitamins and microelements. But you can distinguish it by size and color:

• the largest - in chum salmon and chinook salmon (diameter up to 7 mm);
• slightly smaller - in pink salmon and coho salmon (diameter 4-5 mm);
• the smallest - in sockeye salmon and trout (diameter 2-3 mm).

By color:

• bright red - in sockeye salmon, chinook salmon and coho salmon;
• light orange - in pink salmon;
• from light orange to pale red - in chum salmon.

Trout caviar is the most delicious, and it is most often counterfeited. Chum salmon caviar tastes a little bitter. And if the taste of trout, pink salmon or chum salmon caviar turned out to be bitter, then it is a fake.

If in the lumen in the egg inside you can see the core, that is, the embryo of the future fish, then this is a high-quality product.

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How to choose red caviar in a tin can

Most manufacturers pack caviar in cans. This complicates the choice, because it is impossible to visually evaluate the product, you have to believe what is written on the label.

But there are indicators that will help you understand how to choose good quality red caviar in an iron can:

1. When buying, immediately pay attention to the inscriptions. Remember that salmon caviar does not exist, and if you see such an inscription as "Granular salmon caviar", then leave such a jar in the store. At best, it can contain any caviar "garbage", caviar of the cheapest or defrosted fish. The origin of the product (type of fish) must be clearly written on the can.
2. The packing place will also help you buy better quality caviar. Everyone knows that fish is caught in the Far East, Kamchatka and Sakhalin, but not in the Moscow region or Zhitomir.
3. The jar must be intact, without defects. There should be no traces of rust, dents and most importantly on it. If the container is swollen, caviar in such a jar is hazardous to health.
4. Look at the manufacturing date, it should be stamped on the inside of the lid. If caviar is packaged from July to August, this is a quality product, since it is during this period that the fish spawns. If it's December, then it's a fake. In addition, caviar cannot be stored for more than a year. If the term costs more, then there are preservatives in the composition.
5. Composition is an important metric worth examining. A good product is one in which there are two main components: caviar itself and salt. There are also permitted additives: sorbic acid (E200), potassium sorbate (E211). But the fewer different "unnecessary" components in the product, the better.
6. The manufacturer produces caviar according to two documents: GOST and TU. Choose the one that is in accordance with GOST. The jar with TR should be put aside, it can contain anything.

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If the composition contains such a component as urotropine (E239), such caviar cannot be bought. The fact is that this substance can change the structure of molecules in a protein, cause the development of oncology.

In a glass jar

Some manufacturers pack red caviar in both tin and glass jars. Such a product is more expensive, but it is much easier to choose good quality caviar, because it can be assessed visually.

When choosing a delicacy, pay attention to the following important details:

• date of packaging, who is the manufacturer, composition and documents;
• the grains should not be wrinkled, but should fit snugly to each other, the color should be uniform, no blood clots, white bloom and films.

If oily traces are visible under the glass, then you should not be afraid. Some manufacturers add vegetable oil to give the eggs a glossy sheen.

By weight

Some buyers prefer to buy red caviar by weight. It is very convenient, you can evaluate it visually, buy as much as you need, and even try it. But in this case, it is not always possible to choose a good quality product, since most often already restored caviar is sold in this form.

To give a fresh marketable appearance, sellers mix dried, ugly and unappetizing-looking caviar with some kind of fat, glycerin and egg white. The most dangerous of these is protein, as this is the best environment for the development of many microbes.

When buying red caviar by weight, you should pay attention to the following points:

• the presence of a white foamy liquid indicates that there is egg white in the caviar;
• the caviar should be shiny, the grains should be the same and, most importantly, they should not stick together;
• it is worth trying the product to taste, the artificial caviar will immediately stick to the teeth, and the real one will burst.

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If there are doubts about the quality of the product, then it is better to ask the seller for a quality certificate. True, in this case, you can stumble upon a fake.

How to identify a fake

Modern technologies make it possible to make such a fake that even experts cannot distinguish it from real caviar. But there are tips to help determine the naturalness of the product:

• several eggs can be frozen, after thawing, real caviar will not lose its taste and appearance, and the fake will immediately turn into an incomprehensible gruel;
• if there is a cat in the house, then who, if not he, will be able to distinguish a quality product from an artificial one;
• The caviar can be poured with boiling water - if it is real, then the water will turn white, and if the craft, it will remain transparent, only a light fat will appear on the surface.

The easiest way to check if the caviar is real is to put the eggs on a plate and blow on them, the real ones will scatter, the artificial ones will stick.

When buying red caviar, you need to remember that regardless of the packaging method, it should be stored at a temperature not higher than +5 degrees. Therefore, it is better to refuse a product that is sold by weight, since in this case rarely any of the sellers observes the required temperature regime.

Outcomes

1. Salmon caviar does not exist. There is only caviar of pink salmon, chum salmon, trout and other representatives of the salmon family.
2. When buying, study the packaging date, manufacturer, composition and documents.
3. It is better to buy caviar in a glass jar, so you can visually evaluate the product.
4. It is worth giving up caviar by weight, since in most cases it is already a reconstituted product.