Barberry and goji berries - what are the differences?
The beneficial fruits of barberry often become the cause of indignation and a "bone of contention" for buyers who came to the market in search of goji berries. Unscrupulous sellers often offer practically the same fruits instead of the latter, but - barberry. Of course, if the buyer is a knowledgeable person and versed in the intricacies of gardening, it will not be difficult to notice the substitution. And what is left to do for those who came to buy for the first time? Indeed, at first glance, barberry may well be mistaken for exotic berries.
AND barberry, and goji berries have many beneficial properties and excellent taste. But in the case when it is important to purchase a specific product, you need to pay attention to the following points:
- shape and taste of fruits;
- price and packaging.
Fruit shape and taste
Outwardly, both barberry and goji berries are almost the same - small oblong fruits are painted in bright red. But this only applies to fresh fruits. When dried, the barberry loses its rich color and becomes darker, in addition, the shape is slightly rounded. But goji berries retain their original appearance.
The easiest way to determine what kind of berry is on the counter is to take one piece for a sample. When biting through, barberry has a distinct sourness, and goji berries have a sweet taste.
One of the main differences between the fruits is that the inside of the barberry has a small seed, while the goji berries have small seeds.
Price and packaging
Unlike barberry, red goji berries are sold in branded packages, on which the inscriptions are most often in Chinese. Sometimes there is an English translation under them, but not Russian.
Well, if the cost of the goods is a considerable amount, it is definitely not barberry in front of the buyer, because its price is several times lower. This is used by dishonest sellers, replacing more expensive goji berries with popular barberry in order to get easy money.
What are the other differences between red fruits?
Barberry is a widespread culture, a perennial shrub is grown without any particular difficulties in almost any region. It does not require special conditions for growth, it is sufficient to water the plant in a timely manner and sometimes prune to maintain its shape. The homeland of goji berries is China, so they cannot be grown everywhere, and this shrub is very demanding in care.
Goji fruits have a wider range of health benefits than barberry.