Menglai Dendrobium

Menglai Dendrobium

Menglai Dendrobium is a protected geographical indication product.

Menglai Dendrobium is a certified geographical indication trademark.

　　Quality and Technical Requirements for Menglai Dendrobium

　　I. Species Source

　　Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo, D. devonianum Paxt., D. aphyllum (Roxb.) C.E.Fisch.

　　 II. Cultivation Environment

　　Altitude within the production area: 900m to 1900m; annual average relative air humidity: 80%; annual average temperature: 19.5°C; frost-free period ≥300 days; annual sunshine duration ≥1900 hours.

　　III. Cultivation Management

　　1. Substrate: The substrate consists of organic materials such as tree bark and sawdust, with pH value of 6.5 to 7.0, organic matter content ≥10%, and moisture content of 30% to 40%.

　　2. Seedling Cultivation: Asexual propagation through cuttings or sexual propagation via tissue culture using collected Dendrobium fruits.

　　3. Transplanting: Conduct transplanting of tissue-cultured or cutting seedlings from late March to late June when the temperature is ≥12°C. Plant spacing: 8cm to 10cm between plants, 15cm to 20cm between rows.

　　4. Field Management:

　　(1) Shading: Shading level of 65% to 85%.

　　(2) Fertilization: Apply 500kg to 700kg of well-rotted organic fertilizer per 667m² (mu).

　　(3) Moisture: Maintain substrate moisture at 30% to 40% and relative air humidity at 60% to 80% during the growth period; stop watering 15 days before harvest.

　　5. Environmental and Safety Requirements: The use of pesticides, fertilizers, etc., must comply with national regulations, and environmental pollution must be avoided.

　　IV. Harvesting and Processing

　　1. Harvesting: Harvest from November to March of the following year. Harvesting methods include picking current-year white stems and whole-plant harvesting.

　　2. Processing:

　　(1) Fresh Product: After harvesting white stems, remove impurities and trim off fibrous roots.

　　(2) Dried Product: White stems or whole plants are cleaned and sorted, then cut into sections and dried at low temperatures below 60°C, or processed into traditional Flos Dendrobii products.

　　V. Quality Characteristics

　　1. Sensory Characteristics:

　　 (1) Fresh Product:

　　① Dendrobium officinale: Nodes are distinct with black rings. The fresh stems wrapped in sheaths mostly show the color of the sheath; once the sheath is peeled off, the stems are mostly green or purple, with deeper-colored internodes. No obvious odor on the surface, or slight grassy scent. Taste is mild or slightly sweet, with a slippery and viscous mouthfeel initially, and no residue.

　　② Dendrobium devonianum: Surface is yellow-green with purple spots or streaks; mature sheaths turn silvery gray, and exposed parts of the internodes are purple, with a grassy aroma. Taste is mild or slightly sweet, with a slippery and viscous mouthfeel initially, and some fibers remain after chewing.

　　③ Dendrobium aphyllum: Surface is green or yellow-green, with a slight grassy aroma, taste is mild or slightly sour/bitter, initially slippery when chewed, and fibers remain afterward.

　　 (2) Dried products:

　　① Dendrobium officinale: Surface is dark yellowish-green or golden yellowish-green with fine longitudinal wrinkles; nodes are distinct. The texture is firm and slightly tough, not easily broken. It has a faint scent, bland taste, initially feels smooth and sticky when chewed, with little to no residue.

　　② Dendrobium devonianum: Surface has fine longitudinal wrinkles; the texture is firm and easily broken, with a flat fracture surface. Initially feels sticky when chewed, with little to no residue.

　　③ Dendrobium aphyllum: Tightly coiled, with uniform and neat particles; most show 3 to 5 spiral rings.

　　2. Physicochemical indicators:

　　(1) Dendrobium officinale: Moisture content of fresh product ≤85%, dried product ≤12%. Crude polysaccharide content of dried or fresh-dried product ≥25% (calculated as glucose).

　　(2) Dendrobium devonianum: Moisture content of fresh product ≤85%, dried product ≤12%. Crude polysaccharide content of dried or fresh-dried product ≥12% (calculated as glucose).

　　(3) Dendrobium aphyllum: Moisture content of fresh product ≤88%, dried product ≤14%. Crude polysaccharide content of dried or fresh-dried product ≥8% (calculated as glucose).

　　3. Safety and other quality technical requirements: The product’s safety and other quality technical requirements must comply with relevant national regulations.

　　Yunnan Provincial Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision, Mangshi Dendrobium, Administrative region currently under the jurisdiction of Mangshi City, Mengzi. “Approval on Defining the Origin Scope of the Geographical Indication Product – Mangshi Dendrobium” by the People’s Government of Mangshi City, Document No. Meng Zheng Fu [2012] No. 52. Mangshi Forestry Bureau, Mangshi Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision: “Mangshi Dendrobium Standard (Trial Draft)”