Thứ Sáu, 20 tháng 7, 2018

3 types of Edible Birds Nest


Cave nest: is built in the natural cave and coastal cliff. As swiftlet’s built their nest in the mountain cave, minerals from mountain wall will infiltrate into the nest through rain dipping and high humidity in the cave cause the nest change to golden yellow colour. Due to high demand and uncontrolled nest harvesting, swiftlet’s habitat is damaged and become lesser in the natural mountain. Nowadays government are promoting eco green habitat of swiftlet’s farming, House Nest was slowly replacing Cave Nest. Suitable Group of Consumer: Youngster/ middle age group, pregnant woman.
P/S: The main difference between Cave Nest with other brand is that Cave Nest had to soak in the water for at least 6-8 hours followed by stowed for another 5-6 hours then only can be consumed. As Cave Nest contains very high mineral, it needs longer time to prepare.
3 types of Edible Birds Nest
3 types of Edible Birds Nest

Blood Nest: is categorized under cave nest as well. Scientist had prove that blood nest does not formed by Swiftlet’s blood saliva and the reason that change the nest into red colour is the high magnesium minerals contain on the mountain wall that infiltrate into the nest. Lots of retailers telling consumer that Blood Nest was foamed by Swiftlet’s blood saliva or the food’s consumed by Swiftlet’s that change their nest into red colour. This is totally cheating and misleading consumer with wrong info.
P/S:  Blood Nest had to soak in the water for at least 12-24 hours , stowed for another 8-10 hours then only can be consumed. It’s totally different with what others selling in the market preparation time is extremely short, cause of transforming House Nest into Blood Nest.
House Nest: market name it as “Emperor Nest”. From cave nest to house nest, golden swiftlet builds nest in different environment but it’s lifestyle remains the same. These swiftlets still live in natural habitat, they fly out early in the morning to find food and return in evening. House nest is protected, so the swiftlet population has been increasing. It is more superior than cave nest due to the fact that nutrient contents are retained when it is harvested periodically. House nest has less minerals if compared with cave nest. Thus, it is suitable to community of all ages.
P/S: House Nest mineral contains is much lower compare to Cave Nest, so House Nest can only soak in the water for 1-2 hours, then stowed for another 45 minutes and ready to consume.

Ginseng Edible Birds Nest for pregnant woman

Edible Birds Nest is contains soluble amino acids that will help to repair body cells and generate new cells. It also contains antioxidant that helps to eradicate free radicals in the body. Edible Birds Nest also contains EGF(epidermal growth factor) which has an anti aging effect as it helps in the rebirth of cells and tissues.

Ginseng Edible Birds Nest is suitable for consumption after the 12th day.

Pregnant woman who consume Edible Birds Nest during pregnancy will improve their health and benefit the foetus. It is also used in confinement food as a tonic to help stimulate appetite and aids in digestion. It also helps the body the repair the tissues and boost immunity.

Why is a confinement period important?

Giving birth to a child causes alot of stress to a woman’s body. Excessive bleeding, sweating, body pains are some of the common problems. The confinement period has the objective of strengthening the mother’s body to its original health or even better, as well as to restore the uterus back to the original size.
The confinement period is typically divided into 4 stages. A woman is at her weakest right after childbirth and hence it is not advisable for her to eat tonics or nutritious food immediately.
Stage 1 (1st Week after Childbirth)
Clear lochia (vaginal discharge for the first fortnight after birth), and heal existing wounds.
Stage 2 (2nd Week after childbirth)
Repairs tissues and strengthen internal organs
Stage 3 (3rd Week after childbirth)
Strengthens physique and nourish body
Stage 4 (4th Week after childbirth)
Strengthens overall vitality , tone the body and beautify complexion

Making Edible Birds Nest for Pregnancy

Traditionally, Edible Birds Nest is believed to have cooling properties, improves general pregnancy's well-being and is potentially good for the unborn baby's complexion. Some Chinese expectant mothers would consume Edible Birds Nest or drinks regularly during their pregnancy or maybe starting in their second tri-semester onwards. I personally was always resistant in purchasing or consuming Edible Birds Nest during my pregnancy because (1) Edible Birds Nests are very expensive and such luxury products to consume and (2) From my reading, there is no actual medical or scientific research result that proves the benefits of Edible Birds Nests on pregnant women; that's why I did not invest on buying Edible Birds Nests for my pregnancy early on.
As one of my birthday presents, my husband bought some dry Edible Birds Nests for me. Despite the fact that at the time he bought the Edible Birds Nests I was already about 2 weeks away from delivering our baby; my husband insists that I should at least consume a little bit of Edible Birds Nest to promote my pregnancy's well-being. He said, it is better late than never or not taking the soup at all. I complied. This said, I only started consuming this soup earlier this week.
Anyhow, my Mother-in-Law was the one who helped me prepare my first Edible Birds Nest because I had no knowledge at all in preparing this kind of soup. As you might have known, I am always careful in consuming herbal remedies during my pregnancy, therefore I refused putting any kind of Chinese herbs into my Edible Birds Nest. My Mother-in-Law had no problem with my request and just put some water and rock sugar for my Edible Birds Nest. Yesterday, when my Mother-in-Law was about to prepare my second Edible Birds Nest, I told her that I wanted to try preparing it myself so she taught me how to.

Top 4 dishes from the best healthy nest


For a long time, natural Edible Birds Nests are known as one of the best bowls of goodness, which is one of the eight rare and nutritious dishes that only royalty and new spirits can enjoy. In the old palace there is a banquet with fancy dishes, attractive flavor. Over the millennia of history, nowadays, the nest is no stranger to consumers, but becomes a trusted nutritional product with many ages. Better fit the needs and the state of use.

1. Edible Birds Nest drop chicken

There is no better option than opening a dinner with chicken soup, to feel the crunch characteristic of the bird in the sweet flavor of chicken. A little bit of chopped meats also add a touch of flavor to the dishes.
Oat chicken soup looks quite simple but quite picky, need to know secret chicken bone to get the most sweet. Although the oats and chickens when cool is easy, but with “trick” ginger juice to treat, soup is still delicious even when cold. Soup is a familiar dish, but many gourmets choose, and difficult to do the most. Because they always want to taste newer, deeper aftertaste without losing the taste of oats. This is why a bowl of soup can contain up to 20 flavors from the original ingredients, but no taste is overwhelmed.

2. Soup cooking tradictional medicine

Soup nest chicken northern evil is considered the most standard dishes in the menu of many famous chefs. In preparation for the broth, the chef must use 15 ingredients, create a spicy scent of ginseng, baby black cocktail, smoked meat, and sweet jujube, red apple, ginseng , narcissus mushroom, very suitable to push the nest. The evil chicken with oats is considered the main dish in the party.
Top 4 dishes from the best healthy nest
Top 4 dishes from the best healthy nest

3. Edible Birds Nest cooking lotus seeds, red apple, longan

Edible Birds Nest salted sugar is a new flavor is very easy to ruin all the guests prefer the oat dish. Sautéed lotus seeds, eaten with crispy snack nests, sweet longan in sweet sauce of red apple, sweet sweetness of sugar, only one spoon but contains many delicious pieces to enjoy. With oats, the main dish is the success of the dish.

4. Edible Birds Nest cooking fresh milk

Edible Birds Nests fresh milk is one of the delicious dishes made from the nest is the top dish in the bowl. The two main ingredients of this dish are Edible Birds Nest and fresh milk.
So far, most women have known about the beauty of fresh milk. Today, it is processed in combination with Edible Birds Nest to create a dish not only rich in nutrients, both prevent and treat especially useful for women’s beauty.

Review of Scientific Research on Edible Birds Nest

Edible Birds Nest is one of the widely used health foods in Chinese communities. The market generated by it is increasing because it exhibits a lot of beneficial effects to human beings. For its high market value, fake Edible Birds Nest and misleading promotional description emerged. This article briefly reviews the scientific research on authentication technologies and pharmacological effects of Edible Birds Nest. It is expected that people’s knowledge on Edible Birds Nest could be enhanced.

Background

Swiftlets (collocaliini) are tiny insectivorous birds that are distributed from the Indian Ocean , through Southeast Asia and North Australia to the Pacific[1]. Amongst various species of swiftlets in the genus of Collocalia, only the nests of four species habituating in the Southeast Asian region have commercial value because of human consumption. They are Collocalia fuciphaga, Collocalia germanis, Collocalia maxima and Collocalia unicolor[2]. Collocalia species, average 6.5g in weight, have glossy plumage[1]. Their nests are constructed with salivary glue, a cementing substance, and may incorporate other materials such as vegetation or feathers. It takes about 20 days to finish the nest. The Edible Birds Nest ( 燕窩 in Chinese) making up with purely salivary glue are much more expensive than those incorporating with other materials (see Figure 1 in p.40).
In Hong Kong and in Chinese societies throughout the world, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is commonly used to treat diseases and enhance health. It is believed that TCM herbs have wide-ranging effects for enhancing health, lowering risk of diseases and promoting life span [3,4,5]. Being one of the TCMs, Edible Birds Nest is believed to have health enhancing effects such as anti-ageing, growth promoting and immunoenhancing properties. In fact, the medicinal use of Edible Birds Nest can be traced back to 17th century[6]. However, Edible Birds Nest is different from most of the TCMs. It is not only a medicine to make people healthy but also a pleasant food. Traditionally, it is double boiled with rocky sugar to make a delicacy known as “Edible Birds Nest”.

Although the size of Collocalia is small, the market generated by it is tremendous. The estimated market of Edible Birds Nest in 2004 is worth about HK$ 3 billions in Hong Kong . The local market is the world’s largest consumer of Edible Birds Nest[2,7]. The annual percentage increase of the local market is in doubledigit[7]. It may be due to the fact that Hong Kong people are more and more concerned about their health and the status of TCM has risen after a series of government policies on TCM. Moreover, a dual nature of Edible Birds Nest, that could be treated as medicine or/and food, may play a role. In the past, people could only buy dried Edible Birds Nests. For the advancement in food technology, large variety of Edible Birds Nest related products emerge to the market. They are readily to serve products. No cooking process is required. Amongst those new products, most of them are still in the traditional form as Edible Birds Nest, such as instant Edible Birds Nest in different concentrations. Some instant Edible Birds Nest may also supplement with other TCMs. Apart from the traditional form, there is a trend of using Edible Birds Nest extract as one of the chief ingredients of the products. These products focus mainly on the medicinal use of Edible Birds Nest. However, some of them may exaggerate the therapeutic use of Edible Birds Nest. For the limited supply and high price of Edible Birds Nest, it is not uncommon to hear reports of fake Edible Birds Nest in the market. The imitation substitute commonly used is the edible plant-exude, gum karaya or sterculia[8]. Recently, there are reports of fake Edible Birds Nest made from fishes’ skin, mushroom or algae in China [9]. Therefore, it is a great concern on authenticating the genuineness of Edible Birds Nest. In this review, the author will briefly summarize some advanced technologies in authenticating Edible Birds Nest. The medicinal benefits of Edible Birds Nest with contemporary scientific evidence will also be given.

Authenticity of Edible Birds Nest

The first comprehensive report on authentication of Edible Birds Nest can be traced back to the early 1990s. Sam et al., (1991) demonstrated the possibility to use scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis, flame atomic emission spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and other physico-chemical techniques to ascertain the authenticity of Edible Birds Nest[8]. Since they only made a comparison with some imitation Edible Birds Nest with substances from plant origins, it limited the generalizing ability of the techniques to other imitation materials. In addition, they relied on sophisticated equipment. It is hard for commercial testing laboratories to carry out. Recently, a research team in China has developed a simple but accurate and reliable spectrophotometry method to determine Edible Birds Nest content[10]. It could also be used to differentiate genuine Edible Birds Nest with saliva, pig’s skin and Tremella fucifomis[10]. The method is based on the reaction between N-acetylneuramic acid and ninhydrin in acid solution. The method evaluates the internal content of N-acetylneuramic acid, a nine-carbon sugars, which is one of the major components in Edible Birds Nest.

Nutritional Content and Medicinal Use

Edible Birds Nest contains mainly carbohydrates, amino acids and mineral salts. The major ingredients of Edible Birds Nest are glycoproteins[11]. Amongst the carbohydrates in Edible Birds Nest, sialic acid (9%) is the major one. It was found that exogenous source of sialic acid may contribute to neurological and intellectual advantages in infants[12]. However, the nutritional and biological mechanisms of sialic acid in human body are still under investigation. The other major carbohydrates include 7.2% galactosamine, 5.3% glucosamine, 16.9% galactose and 0.7% fucose[11].
Amino acids and mineral salts are also important components in Edible Birds Nest. Three non-essential amino acids (aspartic acid, glutamic acid, praline) and two essential amino acids (threonine and valine) can be found[11]. They could facilitate normal body functions such as repairing and immunity. Edible Birds Nest is rich in mineral salts. It contains high content of sodium and calcium. It is because the source of Edible Birds Nest is derived from saliva Collocalia inhabiting mainly in limestone caves. In addition, low levels of magnesium, zinc, manganese and iron are also detected in Edible Birds Nest[8].
In spite of the long history of using Edible Birds Nest for medicinal purposes, there are not many scientific researches related to the therapeutic use of it in literature. The first scientific evidence was given by Ng et al. (1986) in Hong Kong. Edible Birds Nest aqueous extract was found to potentiate mitogenic response of human peripheral blood monocytes to stimulation with proliferative agents, Concanavalin A and Phytohemagglutinin A[13]. It suggested that Edible Birds Nest might possess immunoenhancing effect by aiding cell division of immune cells.
One year later, other scientific evidence was published by Kong et al. They demonstrated an epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like activity in aqueous extract of Edible Birds Nest that stimulated the DNA synthesis in 3T3 fibroblast in a dose dependent manner in vitro[6]. EGF is a 6,000 Da polypeptide hormone produced by glands of the gastrointestinal tract, namely the salivary and Brunner’s glands. It appears to play a crucial role in major normal cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation and development[14]. It may offer a rationale for the medicinal use of Edible Birds Nest in ageing resistance. Since the receptor for EGF is highly expressed in a number of solid tumors, including breast, head-and-neck, non-small-cell lung, renal, ovarian and colon cancer[15], people are worried about a possibility to induce tumor progression and to resist chemotherapy/radiation treatment in tumor cells; in consequence, suggest that cancer patients should avoid Edible Birds Nest. In fact, there is no evidence supporting this suggestion. Currently we have evaluated the effects of aqueous extract of Edible Birds Nest on the viability on two human cancer cell lines, human breast cancer MCF-7 (ATCC HTB-22) and human liver cancer HepG2 (ATCC HB-8065). There was no observable effect on cell viability when comparing with the control group (unpublished data).
In 1994, a research team in China, evaluated the pharmacological effects of Edible Birds Nest and pearl powder containing formulation. The formulation was demonstrated to have immunoenhancing effects by elevating DNA synthesis of T-lymphacytes and circulating immunoglobulin M content in mice. In addition, the formulation also showed ageing retardation by increasing the level of superoxide dimutase[16]. However, the study did not explore whether the effects came from either Edible Birds Nest, pearl powder or both.

Further Studies

Edible Birds Nest has been used for several hundred years. Its usage is based mainly on historical, anecdotal and observational reports of its benefit. Scientific evidence for its efficacy is still limited. The putative health benefits such as resisting ageing and improving immunity of Edible Birds Nest may be linked, at least in part, to EGF-like activity and mitogenic factor. However, there may be other mechanisms involved. In addition, there may be additive, synergistic or antagonistic effects between different components of Edible Birds Nest. Work is needed to establish health-related effects of Edible Birds Nest, for example, through assessing biomarker response, isolating and identifying the active components and investigating their possible interaction. In Hong Kong, many people take Edible Birds Nest regularly. It is worth establishing epidemiological study to measure relationship of consistent use of Edible Birds Nest and its putative beneficial effects in human beings. For the large market of Edible Birds Nest, developing a systematic method to identify the sources of Edible Birds Nest and check the authenticity of its sample is, undoubtedly, indispensable.

Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to Imperial Edible Birds Nest International Company Limited for providing intact Edible Birds Nests and their photos. Special thanks go to Ms. Siu-Hung Tsui for editorial assistance.

References

[1] Lee, P.L., Clayton, D.H., Griffiths, R. & Page, R.D. (1996) Does behavior reflect phylogeny in swiftlets (Aves: Apodidae)? A test using cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA sequences. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 93:7091(7096.
[2] Lau, A.S.M. & Melville, D.S. (1994) International Trade in Edible Birds Nests with Special Reference to Hong Kong (Traffic Inter-national, Cambridge, U.K.).
[3] O’Hara, M.A., Kiefer, D., Farrel, K. & Kemper, K. (1998) A review of 12 commonly used herbs. Arch Fam Med. 7:523(536.
[4] Craig, W.J. (1997) Health-promoting properties of common herbs. Am J Clin Nutr. 70:491S(499S. [5] Yuan, R. & Yuan, L. (2000) Traditional Chinese medicine: an approach to scientific proof and clinical validation. Pharm Therapeut. 86:191(198.
[6] Kong, Y.C., Keung, W.M., Yip, T.T., Ko, K.M., Tsao, S.W. & Ng, M.H. (1987) Evidence that epidermal growth factor is present in swiftlet’s (Collocalia) nest. Comp Biochem Physiol B. 87:221(226.
[7] Leung, C.Y. (2004) Three billions market competition for Edible Birds Nest shops. Economic Digest. 1197:68(69.
[8] Sam, C.T., Tan, P.H. & Lim, C.H. (1991) Establishing the authenticity of Edible Birds Nest. ISFM Medicine Scientific Review. 3:1(4.
[9] Li, X., Xi, X. & Che, W. (2003) Analysis and assessment of quality in import-export Edible Birds Nest. Guangzhou Food Science and Technology. 19:72 & 89.
[10] Huang, H, Xi, X., Chen, W. & Chen, J. (2003) Determination of content of Edible Birds Nest by spectrophotometer. Guangzhou Food Science and Technology. 19:68.
[11] Kathan, R.I.I. & Weeks, D.I. (1969) Structure studies of collocalia mucoid. I. Carbohydrate and amino acid composition. Arch Biochem Biophys. 134:572(576.
[12] Colombo, J.P., Garcia-Rodenas, C., Guesry, P.R. & Rey, J. (2003) Potential effects of supplementation with amino acids, choline or sialic acid on cognitive development in young infants. Acta Paediatr Suppl. 92:42(46.
[13] Ng, M.H., Chan, K.H. & Kong, Y.C. (1986) Potentiation of mitogenic response by extracts of the swiftlet’s (Collocalia) nest. Biochem Int. 13:521(531.
[14] Yano, S., Kondo, K., Yamaguchi, M., Richmond, G., Hutchison, M., Wakeling, A., Averbuch, S. & Wadsworth, P. (2003) Distribution and function of EGFR in human tissue and the effect of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibition. Anticancer Res. 23: 3639(3650.
[15] Herbst, R.S. & Langer, C.J. (2002) Epidermal growth factor receptors as a target for cancer treatment: The emerging role of IMC-C225 in the treatment of lung and head and neck cancer. Semin Oncol. 29:27(36.
[16] Zhang, M., Wang, D. & Wang, J. (1994) The effect of the ZHENZHU-YANWO extracts on animal function. Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. 1:49

How to differentiate GENUINE and FAKE Edible Birds Nest?


Genuine Edible Birds Nest

Genuine Edible Birds Nest has a natural creamy colour with fibre-like strands. The traces of feathers or dirt specks in genuine Edible Birds Nest cannot be 100% clean.
Genuine Edible Birds Nest gives out a unique egg white or fishy smell on its own and after being cooked, every piece of genuine Edible Birds Nest is different in its colour, shape and weight.
Genuine Edible Birds Nest is very fragile and easy to break into fine pieces and is 99% dry. It takes about 15-30 minutes to soak them into water, and then it will expand four to seven times bigger than its normal size. You can find some tiny feathers or tiny black specks on the Edible Birds Nest. Traces of feathers or impurity are one proof and guarantee of its authenticity.
How to differentiate GENUINE and FAKE Edible Birds Nest?
How to differentiate GENUINE and FAKE Edible Birds Nest?

Fake or Chemically Treated Edible Birds Nest

Dear Edible Birds Nest lovers, it is time to stop being cheated by rogue businessmen.
Edible Birds Nest is a high value healthy food. Yet, some rogue businessmen started exploiting the Edible Birds Nest trade by selling fake or chemically treated Edible Birds Nest for fast money. The majority of Edible Birds Nest lovers are unaware of how to differentiate between genuine and chemical treated Edible Birds Nest.

Different Ways of Chemically Treated Edible Birds Nest:

Strong bleaching agent - to get rid of tiny feathers and impurity or black specks. The Edible Birds Nest look very white or clean. Every pieces looked the same. It has a chemical smell or sour smell or no smell of egg white or fishy smell.
Industrial colouring - dye the Edible Birds Nest into red, orange, and yellow colour. Every pieces looked the same. Industrial colouring (dye) is very poisonous and can cause a cancer or death if consumed regularly.
Added with seaweeds (agar agar) - to make the Edible Birds Nest heavier to cheat on its weight. It has a smell of seaweed or chemical.
Industrial glue - to glue the Edible Birds Nest together and make it heavier. It has a smell of chemical or sour smell. The Edible Birds Nest looked more solid and not so fragile.
The effective way to test the Edible Birds Nest is to smell the dried Edible Birds Nest, place a piece of wet Edible Birds Nest into a plastic bag, and tie the bag tightly. Then, you either can open the plastic bag after 10 minutes or place a piece of wet Edible Birds Nest into the fridge for one hour before smelling the content. If you can smell chemical or unpleasant smell, the Edible Birds Nest is not pure.
Some rogue businessmen can even spray the Edible Birds Nest with water to cheat you on the weight. You can tell blending the Edible Birds Nest. If it can be blended, the Edible Birds Nest contains 20 to 30% water. Chemical treated Edible Birds Nest takes more then one hour or longer to expand when soaked in water. If a trader claimed that their Edible Birds Nest is 100% clean, be careful.
Cave nest contains more impurities due to the minerals and metals that are present in the cave. It is impossible to manually clean them, therefore 99% of cave nest is being cleaned by a strong bleaching agent.
Blood nest is not being created by the swiftlet itself but by the mineral and metal content and the impurity of the wet surface in the cave. 99% of blood nest in the market is made by drying the white Edible Birds Nest with industrial colouring or smoke the Edible Birds Nest with swiftlet dropping for a few weeks.

Confinement tradition: Taking Edible Birds Nest

Is it a good idea to take Edible Birds Nest during confinement and while you’re nursing? You may have heard many differing things about this. Some mums swear by Edible Birds Nest for its ability to rejuvenate and energize them during confinement. Others feel that it is not suitable for confinement for a variety of reasons.

What is Edible Birds Nest?

Edible Birds Nest is a traditional Chinese delicacy first cultivated and eaten by royalty during the Tang Dynasty. It is made from the white gelatinous strands from a Edible Birds Nest, produced from the swallow’s saliva to bond the nest together, which are thought to be full of nutrients.
Edible Birds Nest is harvested from the swallows’ natural habitat in deep caves and high places, although many now farm swiftlets commercially for this purpose. After collection, the nest has to be cleaned by soaking and thorough cleaning to remove leaves, twigs, feathers and dirt before it can be cooked and consumed.

What are the supposed benefits of Edible Birds Nest?

Edible Birds Nest is renowned for its anti-aging ability and its immunity benefits. Women swear by its ability to help them retain youthfulness, skin moisture, elasticity and a wrinkle-free complexion. In addition, they claim that Edible Birds Nest helps their bodies rejuvenate more quickly and slim downback to their original figures.
Drinking it not only improves Mum’s complexion, which is great for banishing that pregnancy acne, but also gives baby a smooth and white complexion through nursing. It is apparently also thought to improve appetite and digestion in babies and young children. There seems to be some truth to at least some of these claims as studies into Edible Birds Nest has found that it is rich in antioxidants, collagen and amino acids.

Why avoid Edible Birds Nest then?

You may be surprised to hear that not everyone advocates drinking Edible Birds Nest during pregnancy, confinement and nursing. Some feel that eating too much Edible Birds Nest can be too cooling for the body when one should eat heaty foods instead. It is thought that too much cooling results in the baby developing asthma later on.
Edible Birds Nest has also been known to trigger allergies. Some mums have discovered that eating a lot of Edible Birds Nest while pregnant or nursing actually resulted in their children developing allergies to Edible Birds Nest.
But the biggest reason to be wary of Edible Birds Nest is where the majority of Edible Birds Nest comes from today. Most commercially sold Edible Birds Nest today is inferior quality nest cleaned chemically and bleached for the “clean and white” look. Some are outright fakes made to look like Edible Birds Nest. You don’t want to consume these chemical-laden products or feed them to your child.

What brands of Edible Birds Nest are reliable?

Commercially bottled Edible Birds Nest are popular among Singaporeans and frequently given to new mums as gifts. Known brands are generally trusted to use genuine Edible Birds Nest and safe manufacturing processes. Bottled Edible Birds Nest also requires no brewing and is convenient to consume.
However, that said, most people consider bottled Edible Birds Nest inferior to homemade Edible Birds Nest brewed from the nest itself, sourced from independent vendors who sell Edible Birds Nests farmed in neighbouring countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Those wishing to buy their own Edible Birds Nests however should study with someone experienced how to choose quality Edible Birds Nest from look, touch and smell.
All in all, don’t consume Edible Birds Nest just because someone says it’s good, but do your own research first on whether you’re comfortable with it.

TCM clinic: Edible Birds Nest for dry skin


The nests are built almost exclusively by the male swiftlet in approximately 35 days and they are composed almost entirely of a glutinous material found in its saliva.

What it is:

The consumption of Edible Birds Nest is seen as a symbol of wealth, power and prestige.
Known as yanwo in Chinese, it has been used medicinally in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as far back as the Tang and Song dynasties.
The journal Food Research International reported in 2005 that the majority of Edible Birds Nest  that is traded worldwide comes from just two species of swiftlets.
They are the white-Edible Birds Nest and the black-Edible Birds Nest, whose habitats range from the Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean to the sea caves in the coastal regions of Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Borneo and the Palawan Islands in the Philippines.
The nests are built almost exclusively by the male swiftlet in approximately 35 days and they are composed almost entirely of a glutinous material found in its saliva.
The journal reported that the cleaning process is so tedious that it takes a person eight hours or so to clean about 10 nests.
It involves soaking the nests in water until they grow soft, then manually removing small feathers with tweezers.
After that, the nest strands are rearranged and moulded into various shapes.
Often referred to as the "caviar of the East", a tael (37.6g) of Edible Birds Nest sold at Eu Yan Sang retail outlets costs between $128 and $788, depending on their grade and whether they are house nests or the less common cave nests.
TCM clinic: Edible Birds Nest for dry skin
TCM clinic: Edible Birds Nest for dry skin

How TCM uses it:

Edible Birds Nest is classified as a neutral food that is neither heaty nor cooling. Its sweet flavour means it exhibits a nourishing property as well.
It is said to move through the meridians of the lungs, stomach and kidneys.
Meridians are channels in the body through which qi (vital energy) travels.
Edible Birds Nest is used to moisten the lungs and stomach when they lack yin, the element responsible for cooling organs.
A balance of yin and yang - which is linked to heat - in the body is required for good health.
Mr Sim Beng Choon, a TCM physician at Fu Yang Tang Medical Hall, said a person whose lungs lack yin may experience thirst, a dry and sore throat, as well as a red tongue and a dry cough, possibly with blood-streaked sputum.
A person who does not have enough yin in his stomach may lose his appetite and suffer from a dry mouth and constipation.
TCM believes that the health of the lungs affects that of the skin, so nourishing the lungs with Edible Birds Nest can improve one's complexion and address dry skin too, he added.
However, Edible Birds Nest is rarely used in TCM prescriptions because of its steep price, he said. It is usually cooked with rock sugar or red dates.
Ms Zhang Ruifen, a TCM physician at Eu Yan Sang, said Edible Birds Nest is used to boost qi in the body, a lack of which can give rise to fatigue and breathlessness, among other symptoms. Yet the effect of Edible Birds Nest on the body's qi is not as strong as that of ginseng, she added.

Who it is for:

Mr Sim said elderly people, especially those who have battled illnesses, tend to be weak in yin and qi and can benefit from eating Edible Birds Nest.
It would help to resolve prolonged ailments like chronic coughs, but is not intended to treat acute coughs.
He advised people to eat Edible Birds Nest in the mornings - the time when the digestive system, according to TCM principles, is believed to be the most active - for optimal absorption of nutrients.
Ms Zhang said cancer patients undergoing radiation or chemotherapy tend to exhibit "dry symptoms", such as dry mouths, throats and skin, which Edible Birds Nest can help with.

Who should avoid it:

Those who have a lot of phlegm in their throats, a sign of dampness which causes illnesses, should refrain from taking Edible Birds Nest, said Ms Zhang.
She advised adults to consume no more than one big raw Edible Birds Nest a day, while a 12-year-old should have about half of this portion.
Younger children should consume a correspondingly smaller portion of the Chinese delicacy, she added.

What research has shown:

A 2001 clinical study in Singapore found that Edible Birds Nest is the most common cause of food-induced anaphylaxis (a serious allergic reaction) in children, even surpassing other well-recognised food allergens, such as cow's milk or eggs for younger children and peanut or crustacean seafood for older children.
This severe allergic reaction can cause breathing difficulties, dizziness and hives - symptoms which are similar to those induced by egg-like proteins.

Recipe: Peppermint Edible Birds Nest porridge

Ingredients
15g dried or fresh peppermint leaves
37.5g uncooked white rice
2 tsp bottled Edible Birds Nest
Dried tangerine peel, a pinch
Sugar or salt, to taste
250ml water
Method
1. Soak the dried tangerine peel in water until it becomes soft. Remove its pith before use.
2. In a pot with 250ml of hot water, add the peppermint leaves and cover with a lid.
3. Filter out the peppermint leaves after soaking them for 10 to 20 minutes. Keep them for use later.
4. Use the mint-flavoured water to cook the rice and tangerine peel for 30 to 40 minutes, until it becomes porridge.
5. While the porridge is hot, add the Edible Birds Nest and peppermint leaves.
6. Finally, add salt or sugar to taste.

Taninthayi earns K1.8 billion from Edible Birds Nest enterprise tender

THE regional fund of Taninthayi Region is K1.8 billion larger after it received funding from a Edible Birds Nest enterprise tender process, according to the Regional Minister of Forestry.

The Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) previously had a monopoly over the Edible Birds Nest collection enterprises in the region in the years leading up to 2014, before tender offers began to be put out to other companies.
“There was only ever this one private company involved in this enterprise as they were the only company who would bid when tenders were first put out. The price of the tender this year, however, has tripled as other companies have entered the competition by placing bids,” said U Tin Thein, director of the Department of Forestry for Taninthayi Region.
The process of calling Edible Birds Nest enterprise to tender began on 9 February, with the bidding companies announced on 15 February. Twenty-five per cent of the price of the tender bid first had to be paid up front to the Myanma Economic Bank, while the remainder had to be settled by February 17.
“There are only four areas within the region in which Edible Birds Nests can be collected. Four companies applied shortly after the tenders were called, but only three turned up on the day when successful bids were announced. Only two of these three companies were successful, walking away with the rights to collect Edible Birds Nests,” explained U Win Naing, assistant director of the forestry department.
Among the companies that bid—MEC, Ruby Light Rays and Grand Andaman Islands—MEC was awarded Plot 3, while Grand Andaman Islands swept up plots 1, 2 and 4.
Plot 1 is located within the townships of Laung Lone and Yay Phyu, covering an area of eight islands, won with a tender bid of over K1.2 million. Plot 2 comprises ten islands in the Ye Aye island cluster in the Myeik archipelago; it was secured with a successful bid of more than K1.8 million. Plot 3 is located in Kaw Thaung District, the southernmost part of the country, made up of a group of nine islands for which the winning bid surpassed K420 million. Plot 4 is located in an area covering the five islands of Pulaw Township, of which the tender was awarded to a bid of over K1.44 billion.
Successful tender bidders are permitted to exploit their winning plots only up until November of this year, while the period of time in which the actual collecting of Edible Birds Nests can take place three months per year in order to mitigate the potential wiping out of bird species in these areas. Edible Birds Nest collectors are also prohibited from making artificial alterations to caves where Edible Birds Nests are located.
Under a government initiative, some areas of Taninthayi Region have been designated wildlife zones in order to provide a safe haven for birds to nest and reproduce, according to the regional forestry department.
In the 2013-2014 fiscal year, when Edible Birds Nest enterprise tenders were called, the regional fund banked over K900 million, while the following fiscal year saw a decline with K620 million secured.
The current regional price for one viss (1.54 kilos) of black Edible Birds Nest fetches approximately K300,000, while white Edible Birds Nests are significantly more valuable, with the same weight going for as much as K6 million.

How to differentiate GENUINE and FAKE Edible Birds Nest?

Genuine Edible Birds Nest

Genuine Edible Birds Nest has a natural creamy colour with fibre-like strands. The traces of feathers or dirt specks in genuine Edible Birds Nest cannot be 100% clean.
Genuine Edible Birds Nest gives out a unique egg white or fishy smell on its own and after being cooked, every piece of genuine Edible Birds Nest is different in its colour, shape and weight.
Genuine Edible Birds Nest is very fragile and easy to break into fine pieces and is 99% dry. It takes about 15-30 minutes to soak them into water, and then it will expand four to seven times bigger than its normal size. You can find some tiny feathers or tiny black specks on the Edible Birds Nest. Traces of feathers or impurity are one proof and guarantee of its authenticity.

Fake or Chemically Treated Edible Birds Nest

Dear Edible Birds Nest lovers, it is time to stop being cheated by rogue businessmen.
Edible Birds Nest is a high value healthy food. Yet, some rogue businessmen started exploiting the Edible Birds Nest trade by selling fake or chemically treated Edible Birds Nest for fast money. The majority of Edible Birds Nest lovers are unaware of how to differentiate between genuine and chemical treated Edible Birds Nest.

Different Ways of Chemically Treated Edible Birds Nest:

Strong bleaching agent - to get rid of tiny feathers and impurity or black specks. The Edible Birds Nest look very white or clean. Every pieces looked the same. It has a chemical smell or sour smell or no smell of egg white or fishy smell.
Industrial colouring - dye the Edible Birds Nest into red, orange, and yellow colour. Every pieces looked the same. Industrial colouring (dye) is very poisonous and can cause a cancer or death if consumed regularly.
Added with seaweeds (agar agar) - to make the Edible Birds Nest heavier to cheat on its weight. It has a smell of seaweed or chemical.
Industrial glue - to glue the Edible Birds Nest together and make it heavier. It has a smell of chemical or sour smell. The Edible Birds Nest looked more solid and not so fragile.
The effective way to test the Edible Birds Nest is to smell the dried Edible Birds Nest, place a piece of wet Edible Birds Nest into a plastic bag, and tie the bag tightly. Then, you either can open the plastic bag after 10 minutes or place a piece of wet Edible Birds Nest into the fridge for one hour before smelling the content. If you can smell chemical or unpleasant smell, the Edible Birds Nest is not pure.
Some rogue businessmen can even spray the Edible Birds Nest with water to cheat you on the weight. You can tell blending the Edible Birds Nest. If it can be blended, the Edible Birds Nest contains 20 to 30% water. Chemical treated Edible Birds Nest takes more then one hour or longer to expand when soaked in water. If a trader claimed that their Edible Birds Nest is 100% clean, be careful.
Cave nest contains more impurities due to the minerals and metals that are present in the cave. It is impossible to manually clean them, therefore 99% of cave nest is being cleaned by a strong bleaching agent.
Blood nest is not being created by the swiftlet itself but by the mineral and metal content and the impurity of the wet surface in the cave. 99% of blood nest in the market is made by drying the white Edible Birds Nest with industrial colouring or smoke the Edible Birds Nest with swiftlet dropping for a few weeks.

Tips for Edible Birds Nest


Storage of Edible Birds Nest

Edible Birds Nest is an expensive commodity and it should be stored carefully to avoid molding due to dampness. You can store Edible Birds Nest in clean plastic boxes lined with desiccating materials and airtight cover in a dry place. It is particularly important to keep the Edible Birds Nest dry while storing. In case you find that the nest has become moist because of humidity, you need to blow dry it first. You can proceed to cooking and store the remaining Edible Birds Nest in an airtight container in a cool and dry place.
However, there is one thing that should be taken care of. You should not store the Edible Birds Nest in refrigerator. Putting it in the fridge causes condensation since the temperature of the container varies from that of the refrigerator. The nest may become even moister. Therefore, this is not an appropriate method of storage for Edible Birds Nests. Some people still keep it in the fridge. However, the nest lasts for about a week if you store it like that.
If you are not going to cook the nest directly after cleaning, you must squeeze dry it and put it in a clean and dry container. For storing it for longer time, you must store it at room temperature.
Tips for Edible Birds Nest
Tips for Edible Birds Nest

Fake Edible Birds Nest

In Asian market, numerous fake edible Edible Birds Nest can be found. This is because the demand for the product is very high and supply is relatively very low. There are several methods used by businesspersons to create fake Edible Birds Nests:
Dyeing: The white nest is dyed with red or yellow color and sold as red nest or yellow nest.
Coating: The nest is coated with products like fish powder, egg, flour, etc. to enhance the brightness of surface. This also increases weight and thickness.
Faking: Products such as bleached seaweed or resin is used to create imitations of Edible Birds Nest.

Edible Birds Nest Recipe

Edible Birds Nest is made by the swiftlet bird using its saliva. The saliva hardens when it is exposed to open air. The Edible Birds Nest is edible and contains extremely high nutrition value. Here, we are presenting a simple recipe to make Edible Birds Nest, which is one of the major staple foods of China. It is a dessert, which contains high amount of proteins. It enhances the quality of cells in our body and regenerates new cells as well. This Edible Birds Nest recipe strengthens the immune system of our body.
If this dessert soup is consumed regularly by women, it promotes skin health and gives smooth complexion to the face. Cooking this soup with Ginseng boosts great health. Let us see how to cook Edible Birds Nest:
• Cooking time焖炖: 120 minutes
• Preparation time: 5 minutes
• Total time总共: 2 hours and 5 minutes 25
Ingredients原料:
• Edible Birds Nest 3 pieces 3
• Ginseng 10 grams 人参10公克
• Rock sugar 3 large pieces冰糖
• Hot water 2 large bowls
Method方法:
• Rinse the Edible Birds Nest. Soak it in cold water overnight or for 3-4 hours. 冲洗燕窝,浸泡在冷水中过夜或3-4时。
• Take the nest out and pick any free feathers if any.如必要再挑出羽毛
• Rinse Ginseng.净人参
• Pour water in a pot and boil it. 锅里倒入水,煮沸。
• Put Edible Birds Nests and Ginseng in a pot and pour 2 hot water bowls in it. 把燕窝和人参在一个锅里和倒2热水碗。
• Place a large tablecloth in the large pot containing water.用大桌布盖好
• Now, place this smaller pot in the large pot over the cloth.这个小壶在大锅里过布。
• Simmer and let the ingredients cook for 1.5 hours.让食材焖炖1.5时。
• Add rock sugar and cook for another 30 minutes.加冰糖再煮30钟。
• Serve hot.热享

Secrets of Edible Birds Nest

Edible Birds Nest is one the most highly valued of the food products of South East Asia. The nest is made by certain species of swiftlets with a high-protein glutinous secretion produced by their salivary glands. The secretion hardens on exposure after the bird has shaped it into a cup-shaped nest. The secretion also serves to glue the nest to the ceiling of the cave or building in which the birds live.   
There are more than 24 species of swiftlets, but only a few produce nests that are deemed edible. The high-protein secretion used in forming the nest is produced by a pair of large, salivary glands under the tongue. The birds mate and raise their young in the nest.
The majority of Edible Birds Nest traded worldwide comes from two heavily exploited species, the White-Edible Birds Nest (Aerodramus fuciphagus) and the Black-Edible Birds Nest (Aerodramus maximus) Their habitats range from the Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean to sea caves in the coastal regions of Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Borneo and the Palawan Islands in the Philippines. Malaysia is situated right at the heart of the ‘golden triangle’ of Edible Birds Nest production, making it a strong producer in this industry. Edible Birds Nest has been used for centuries in China. Commonly referred to as the ‘Caviar of the East’ it fetches a premium price.

Traditionally, Edible Birds Nest is double boiled with rock sugar to make a delicacy known as ‘Edible Birds Nest‘.The Chinese name for Edible Birds Nest, yan wo translates literally as ‘swallow's nest’. This soup is especially valued by the Chinese and Vietnamese for its reputed health benefits. The nests were first traded in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.). There are historical sources stating that between the years 1368 and 1644, Admiral Cheng He introduced Edible Birds Nests to the imperial court of the Ming Dynasty. Borneo was the major source of Edible Birds Nests and these were traded for Chinese stonewares and procelain, iron, brass, gold, glass beads and textiles.
Edible Birds Nest is not just a pleasant food to be consumed and enjoyed; it is also traditionally believed to provide health benefits, such as aiding digestion, raising libido, improving the voice, alleviating asthma and improving concentration.

Nutritional & Functional properties

More than half of EBN’s weight consists of protein. According to Marcone (2005), the composition of Edible Birds Nest is: lipid 0.14 - 1.28%, ash 2.1%, carbohydrate 25.62 - 27.76% and protein 62 - 63%. The major nutrient components of Edible Birds Nest are glycoproteins (Kathan & Weeks, 1969) rich with amino acids, carbohydrate, calcium, sodium and potassium (Norhayati et al., 2010) and abundant sialic acid-containing sugar chains (Kakehi et al. 1994) This unique glycoprotein structure in Edible Birds Nest makes it different from other protein sources such as chicken and fish in term of solubility, functional properties and bioactive compounds. The glycoprotein in Edible Birds Nest contains about 9% sialic acid, 4.19 to 7.2% galactosamine, about 5.3% glucosamine, 5.03 to 16.9% galactose, and about 0.7% fucose (Kathan and Weeks 1969, Tung et al. 2008). The most abundant amino acids are serine, threonine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline, and valine (Kathan & Weeks 1969). The nutrient content of Edible Birds Nest may be affected by seasonal variations and even breeding sites (Norhayati et al, 2010). Edible Birds Nest contains a common 77 KDa protein that has properties similar to those of the ovotransferrin protein in eggs. This protein may be partially responsible for the allergic reactions that sometimes occur among young children who consume Edible Birds Nest products.
Many people questioned whether Edible Birds Nest is really nutritious and have therapeutics properties. Is it true or just a myth? To prove the superiority of Edible Birds Nest, Innovation Centre of Food Technology (MANIS) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), through studies of Edible Birds Nest bioactivities indicated that Edible Birds Nest has the highest antioxidant and antihypertensive activity compared to chicken and fish soups. Anti-oxidant tests like DPPH radical scavenging assay and ABTS radical scavenging assay showed superior power of antioxidant activities. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, Edible Birds Nest shows the highest antioxidant activities compared to chicken and fish soups.

For antihypertensive effect, a study on the bioactivity indicated that Edible Birds Nest has the highest antihypertensive activity compared to chicken and fish soups. Figure 3 showed higher antihypertensive activity with high Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory value. ACE plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure as well as cardiovascular function.
Research has shown that Edible Birds Nest is best cooked within a period of two to four hours. However, the optimum time for cooking Edible Birds Nest is about two hours. It is important not to cook for too long, as besides losing the bioactivities, it also is not practical.

Processing the nests

In the industry, the nests are cleaned by soaking them in water until the nest cement is softened and the tightly bound strands partially loosened. Small feathers and fine plumage are then manually removed with tweezers. The cleaned strands are then re-arranged and molded into chips of various shapes, air-dried, and packaged for sale around the world.

Market demand

While the primary market is the Chinese community around the world, mainly China, Taiwan, Singapore and North America, there are new emerging markets such as Middle East, Japan and Korea. The demand is amplified during Chinese festivals, such as the Lunar Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), when gifts of Edible Birds Nest are synonymous with wealth and good fortune.
Edible Birds Nest is either sold in its original state after harvesting; or in processed form after going through the tedious process of removing birds' feathers and cleaning. Concerns have arisen over the purity and authenticity of the product, and the Chinese authorities have been enforcing more stringent screening of the processed nests. There is now a growing need to establish a standardized benchmark and quality assurance system to ensure the Edible Birds Nest products from Malaysia are genuine and safe for consumption.

Production of Edible Birds Nest

Edible Birds Nests were formerly harvested from caves, principally the enormous limestone caves at Gomantong and Niah in Borneo. With the escalation in demand, these sources have been supplanted since the late 1990s by purpose-built nesting houses. At first, disused shop houses and cinemas were converted into artificial cave habitats but knowledge of what the birds prefer has improved to the point that the birds are now enticed to nest in specially designed reinforced concrete housing provided with the appropriate light, humidity, security and other features. These nesting houses are normally found in urban areas adjoining the sea, since the birds have a propensity to flock in such places. Many people have invested heavily in hopes of attracting the swiftlets to nest. Before 1998, there were about 900 swiftlet farms throughout Malaysia. Five years later, the number of swiftlet farms throughout the country was close to 36,000 units, with an average annualized growth rate of 35% (Hameed, 2007).
The main export markets of Edible Birds Nest are Hong Kong (50%), China (8%), Taiwan (4%) and Macau (3%) with estimated consumption of 160 tons per annum. In Hong Kong a bowl of Edible Birds Nest could cost $30 to $100 USD while a kilogram of white nest (around 90 to 120 nests) can cost up to $2,000 USD. A kilogram of "red blood" nest can cost up to $10,000 USD in Hong Kong and China. As more Edible Birds Nest products are developed, such as beauty and skincare products as well as health products, the future of the Edible Birds Nest industry looks very promising.
According to Kuan and Lee (2005), Malaysia is the world's third largest supplier of Edible Birds Nest after Thailand and Indonesia, contributing 10 percent of the 210 tonnes, worth up to $4 billion US dollars, consumed annually by top buyers in China and Taiwan. According to the Malaysian Federation of Edible Birds Nest Merchants Association Malaysia's annual production of Edible Birds Nests has reached 1 billion ringgit (290 million U.S. dollars) in value. However, the industry suffered a setback in the past two years after China banned imports of the nests, citing health concerns over the content of nitrites in some products. The ban by China has caused prices to drop at least 20 per cent. But producers say that China’s import ban could turn out to be a much-needed wakeup call for better quality control.
In the 1990s, the first comprehensive reports on authentication of Edible Birds Nest were published. These reports demonstrated the possibility to use scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis, flame atomic emission spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and other physico-chemical techniques to determine the authenticity of Edible Birds Nest . These tests are difficult to run, expensive and only work on some of the substances used to imitate Edible Birds Nests. Recently, a China based research team developed a simple but accurate and reliable spectrophotometry method to determine Edible Birds Nest content. The method is based on the reaction between N-acetylneuramic acid and ninhydrin in acid solution. The method evaluates the internal content of N-acetylneuramic acid, a nine-carbon sugar which is one of the components in Edible Birds Nest.

World's Most Pointless Food: Edible Birds Nest


In sea-side caves in parts of Asia, most notably Indonesia and Thailand, there is a species of swift, a bird, that regurgitates protein-laden mucus and fashions it into a nest. It's been doing it for thousands of years, so unsurprisingly someone at some point happened by and said to themselves 'Yeah, I'd eat that.' These days, a kilo of nests can fetch thousands of dollars, with price reflecting supposed quality, because eating a bad batch of bird mucus would just be gross. There are two slight variations on the origin story of this, the most pointless of foods.
In the first version there was once an emperor who was ancient, wise, kind, powerful and really good at volleyball. He was also quite the gourmand, and was constantly in search of new foods to sample. One day, a devoted servant made him a soup out of this Edible Birds Nest. He tried it, said something to the tune of 'Eh, it's pretty good I guess', and the people rejoiced by chowing down on any Edible Birds Nest they could get their hands on.
The second version involves another ancient emperor who was neither wise nor kind, but made up for it by being vicious and crazy. He too was quite the gourmand and always had servants out in search of new foods. All his cooks who failed to deliver to his exacting standards of originality and tastefulness were swiftly (and presumably tastefully) executed. One such cook, completely out of ideas but not wanting to end up like his predecessor, came across these nests one day and just tossed one into a soup as a last resort. He fearfully delivered the soup to his emperor who tried it, but then declared this Edible Birds Nest to be boring, just like plain old regular soup. Seeing his life flash before his eyes, the cook took this opportunity to frantically ad-lib any health benefits he could lay his mind on. To this, the emperor replied 'Oh. Why didn't you say so?' The emperor finished his soup, sighed contentedly and then declared, based on his expansive knowledge of nutrition, that the Edible Birds Nest did indeed have health benefits. But because the emperor was, classically speaking, a dick, he went and had everyone else who knew about this miracle food, other than the cook, killed in order to protect the knowledge. From then on, the cook would give the nesting cave's location to other servants who would go and get the nests only to be killed on their return.
World's Most Pointless Food: Edible Birds Nest
World's Most Pointless Food: Edible Birds Nest

And really, not a whole lot has changed since then. Harvesting the nests is still ridiculously dangerous work, done in the darkness of caves, hundreds of feet in the air, supported only with rickety bamboo scaffolds, slippery with accumulated bird crap. Falls are common – some figures put the risk of work-related death at 1 in 60. It's hard to tell though. The ridiculous amount of money to be had from nests forces most Edible Birds Nest businesses to keep an extremely low profile. They don't want to give away the location of their caves for fear of poachers and they don't want to open up their collecting teams (which always include armed guards) to bandit attacks. And it totally happens. Groups of people have literally entered into open gunfights over these freaking Edible Birds Nests. In Thailand in the 1990s, for instance, one such clash left 29 people dead. And it's not a problem that can be solved with open access either. Indonesia's Berau district tried that once, and never again. When they opened a cave to the public, the public wasted absolutely no time in going completely nuts – murder and robbery became the order of the day.

These days, a system has emerged:

Edible Birds Nest businesses bid against each other for the rights to harvest certain caves, and harvest they do. As you can imagine, tearing down a nest every time it makes one can get discouraging for the bird, and most swifts will give up after two or three attempts a year at starting a family, which isn't great news for the population of the species. Whittling away at the population of an animal isn't anything new though. What's slightly more intriguing in this often happens in national parks. So just how much damage is being done to the Swift populations here? Who knows. When government forestry officials come by to do their job, they're flat out told to piss off. However, the guards are somewhat less considerate to locals, tourists and any other passer by, and are known for having a tendency to shoot people on sight, simply for accidentally drifting a bit too close to their cave islands.

So what's it all about then?

What's the deal with the actual food? That bird phlegm must taste incredible, and those health benefits must be amazing, right? Well, that depends on who you ask. Purveyors of Edible Birds Nest are insistent that it's definitely good for you. Of course, it has a rejuvenating, anti-aging effect (because honestly, what miracle food doesn't?) and it has a whole set of other benefits, each more impressively vague than the last, culminating with “Previous clinical researches have concluded that Edible Birds Nest has a sweet and calm character.” Oh good. Clinically shown to have a sweet and calm character. Maybe the next phase of this “clinical researches” can be dedicated to establishing whether adding tomato to a sandwich makes the bread feel insecure. The one thing all Edible Birds Nest vendors agree on is that the stuff is definitely good for the libido... which would be slightly more impressive if there was a single ancient Chinese remedy that wasn't meant to improve your sex life.
Ok, let's set aside the semi-literate Edible Birds Nest hawkers, and instead see what people have actually concluded about the health benefits of Edible Birds Nest. Well, so far, they've concluded that Edible Birds Nests definitely exist, either do or do not have health benefits, and may or may not kill you. Applying a swift dose of common sense, one can safely assume that even if the stuff did have health benefits, one would need to knock back about a dozen bowls of this stuff a day, and given how much it costs, that's a tall order. And even if you do, it's not like you're going to enjoy your meal. At best, the nests "taste of nothing whatsoever." At worst, they probably taste like a feathery urinal. People die for it, it's outrageously expensive, it has no proven health benefits and it is one of the more objectively nasty foods out there. It has absolutely nothing going for it. It truly is the world's post pointless food. A more informative person than I, however, might have mentioned that most nests these days come from fairly safe and sustainable bird houses, but you'll have to find that person and get them to mention it, because I didn't.

Edible Birds Nest Delivery

We are a premium supplier of Edible Birds Nest, which delivers Edible Birds Nests all over the world. The company has developed a reputation for itself with time as a dependable supplier of Edible Birds Nests. The company specializes in helping customers to export Edible Birds Nests to China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, USA & many other countries.
We provide one-stop export services for Edible Birds Nests. We also assist the customers to export Edible Birds Nests to China and Hong Kong. You do not need to go anywhere else for procuring services like obtaining necessary documents from local authorities, custom clearance, and transportation in China, etc.
With us, you can get the following benefits:

Dependable team 可靠团队

Once you have handed over your duties to us, you can depend on our team for timely completion of your formalities and delivery of your goods.

Safe & reliable custom handling 可靠通关

The customs are handled in strictly professional manner and all norms are complied. The process of exporting Edible Birds Nests to China or any other country is legal and the customers do not have to face any harassment from the country’s officials.

Simple procedure 简易程

Since the company, is taking care of all your formalities and documentations, the customers are left with minimum hassles. Therefore, the overall procedure of exporting Edible Birds Nests becomes very simple for the clients.

Speedy delivery 快速运送

The shelf life of Edible Birds Nests is only a few days. That is why; we ensures that your goods reach on time to any country you wish to export.

Large cargo for big volume 大批

If the customers want to send large volumes of Edible Birds Nests, company takes charge to send large cargos with minimal fees.

Cleaning process

The cleaning process of a Edible Birds Nest includes manual cleansing, which is performed by skilled hands. It is not as simple as it sounds; it is definitely an elaborate process. Moreover, many unscrupulous and cunning companies and businesspersons indulge in dishonest practices such as using chemical agents and bleach for easy cleaning to cope with high demand.
However, we do not just aim to earn profits by compromising with their customers’ health. Our workers collect the nests from the farmhouses or caves and bring them to the warehouse for processing. Absolute hygiene is maintained during the cleaning process of Edible Birds Nests. The well-trained employees then start the process of natural cleansing according to the standards of Department of Standards Malaysia as well as the rules set by international food certification.
The Edible Birds Nests are first washed with distilled water. Under the supervision of experts, we use sterilized tools to clean every corner of nests. This process takes a long time to remove grass, feathers and other foreign elements. Even after this step, outside elements adhere to the nests, which are then removed using forceps. We strictly against the use of chemicals and bleaches for cleaning process.
The Edible Birds Nests are then kept in moulds specially crafted for the purpose. Then, they are kept in freezers to dry. The nests are also dried under fans. The last step is to pass all nests through accurate and severe selection, quality control, safety, and health inspection.
Once the cleaning process is complete, the nests are packaged into boxes, labeled, and released for delivery. It is ensured beforehand that the nests are free of fungus, insects, or any kind of contaminants and additives. This makes the Edible Birds Nests retain their natural nutrients. Moreover, you get our products at the most competitive price in market.

Edible Birds Nest Supplies


Company is the pioneer of Edible Birds Nest supplies in Malaysia. We supply premium quality Edible Birds Nest harvested from the best available sources. Our core activities of business include accumulating house nest and cave nest, cleaning and processing raw nests of birds, wholesaling of house nest and Edible Birds Nest, exporting Edible Birds Nests, farming of swiftlets, franchised stores of Edible Birds Nests, etc.
We are the premium Edible Birds Nest supplier in Malaysia. We have a well-established export market all over the Asiatic continent, the major importer being China. We also supply Edible Birds Nests to Chinese communities all over the world.
Edible Birds Nest Supplies
Edible Birds Nest Supplies

Company has earned a reputation for itself as a reliable supplier of Edible Birds Nests. We specialize in assisting our customers to export Edible Birds Nests to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, USA, Australia, & many other countries. We are an approved and authorized company based in Malaysia. We have procured basic licensing such as health certificate, certificate of origin, export permit and all other documents from the Government of Malaysia.
The customers can procure all kinds of supply services from Company at one stop only. We take care of packaging, delivery, and logistics. Even if you want to export Edible Birds Nests to some other country, you do not have to look anywhere else. We provide services such as procuring necessary documents from local authorities, transportation of the other country, custom clearance, etc.

Edible Birds Nest Delivery

We are a premium supplier of Edible Birds Nest, which delivers Edible Birds Nests all over the world. The company has developed a reputation for itself with time as a dependable supplier of Edible Birds Nests. The company specializes in helping customers to export Edible Birds Nests to China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, USA & many other countries.
We provide one-stop export services for Edible Birds Nests. We also assist the customers to export Edible Birds Nests to China and Hong Kong. You do not need to go anywhere else for procuring services like obtaining necessary documents from local authorities, custom clearance, and transportation in China, etc.
With us, you can get the following benefits:

Dependable team 可靠团队

Once you have handed over your duties to us, you can depend on our team for timely completion of your formalities and delivery of your goods.

Safe & reliable custom handling 可靠通关

The customs are handled in strictly professional manner and all norms are complied. The process of exporting Edible Birds Nests to China or any other country is legal and the customers do not have to face any harassment from the country’s officials.

Simple procedure 简易程

Since the company, is taking care of all your formalities and documentations, the customers are left with minimum hassles. Therefore, the overall procedure of exporting Edible Birds Nests becomes very simple for the clients.

Speedy delivery 快速运送

The shelf life of Edible Birds Nests is only a few days. That is why; we ensures that your goods reach on time to any country you wish to export.

Large cargo for big volume 大批

If the customers want to send large volumes of Edible Birds Nests, company takes charge to send large cargos with minimal fees.

Cleaning process

The cleaning process of a Edible Birds Nest includes manual cleansing, which is performed by skilled hands. It is not as simple as it sounds; it is definitely an elaborate process. Moreover, many unscrupulous and cunning companies and businesspersons indulge in dishonest practices such as using chemical agents and bleach for easy cleaning to cope with high demand.
However, we do not just aim to earn profits by compromising with their customers’ health. Our workers collect the nests from the farmhouses or caves and bring them to the warehouse for processing. Absolute hygiene is maintained during the cleaning process of Edible Birds Nests. The well-trained employees then start the process of natural cleansing according to the standards of Department of Standards Malaysia as well as the rules set by international food certification.
The Edible Birds Nests are first washed with distilled water. Under the supervision of experts, we use sterilized tools to clean every corner of nests. This process takes a long time to remove grass, feathers and other foreign elements. Even after this step, outside elements adhere to the nests, which are then removed using forceps. We strictly against the use of chemicals and bleaches for cleaning process.
The Edible Birds Nests are then kept in moulds specially crafted for the purpose. Then, they are kept in freezers to dry. The nests are also dried under fans. The last step is to pass all nests through accurate and severe selection, quality control, safety, and health inspection.
Once the cleaning process is complete, the nests are packaged into boxes, labeled, and released for delivery. It is ensured beforehand that the nests are free of fungus, insects, or any kind of contaminants and additives. This makes the Edible Birds Nests retain their natural nutrients. Moreover, you get our products at the most competitive price in market.

Frequently asked questions about Edible Birds Nest

Edible Birds Nest is the saliva produced by a special species of swallow called the swiftlet while building the nest. The saliva glues with other impurities (such as feathers) to form the nest. Among the different species of swiftlets, golden swiftlet’s saliva has the purest protein content and the highest nutrient value.

1.How to pre-soak and expand Edible Birds Nest?

It is necessary to have Edible Birds Nest soaked and expanded before stewing. “soak & expand” means to soak Edible Birds Nest in cool and clean water so that it can be totally infiltrated with water and absorb maximum water content. Different types of Edible Birds Nest have different soaking time, varying from 3-7 hours. Wild/cave nests require at least 24 hours of soaking time. Edible Birds Nest will expand after soaking. Minimal amount of feathers might be found in pure natural Edible Birds Nest after expansion. Use tweezers to remove them or rinse the Edible Birds Nest several times.
Procedure:
1.Soak Edible Birds Nest for some time first (different types of Edible Birds Nest need different time of soaking), the water should cover the whole Edible Birds Nest so that it can absorb maximum water content. Refresh soaking water once or twice during soaking.
2.Use tweezers to remove the feathers. (For the elderly or persons having bad eye sight, perform this by placing Edible Birds Nest on a piece of white cloth to reduce tiredness).
3.Put the soaked Edible Birds Nest in a strainer to filter the water.
4.Rinse the Edible Birds Nest several times. Tear off the Edible Birds Nest tissue and wash away the impurities with running water.

2.How to cook Edible Birds Nest?

All types of Edible Birds Nest should be prepared with indirect heat (i.e., stewing or steaming). One should take caution not to boil the nests. Please cook the nests after they have been pre-soaked (see above for pre-soaking).
Stewing Tips:
•When stewing, the water must cover the entire Edible Birds Nest, but the condensed level depends on individual’s preference.
•The water level inside the stewing mug (including Edible Birds Nest, water and other ingredients) should not be higher than 70% of the stewing mug’s height. The water level will rise once the heated ingredients expand.
•Bring water to boil, then reduce the heat down to simmer.
•The ‘mitogenic stimulation factor’ contained in Edible Birds Nest is active at around 80 degree Celsius. It will lose its effectiveness if direct boiling is applied on Edible Birds Nest causing damage to its proteins at high temperature. Therefore, always remember to apply low heat to simmer Edible Birds Nest and keep the temperature inside the stewing pot at around 80 degree Celsius.
•You may choose to stew the Edible Birds Nest with an electronic stewing pot which is safe and convenient. All you need to do is to adjust the heat intensity to low level.
•Add rock sugar at the end of stewing process to make the Edible Birds Nest taste better.
•For hygienic consideration, please consume Edible Birds Nest with a thoroughly clean spoon. Reheat the Edible Birds Nest when necessary. However, please do not make use of microwave oven since high temperature will spoil the nutrient of Edible Birds Nest.

3.Is there any special method to treat Edible Birds Nest corner?

Yes. It is preferable to cut the corners out from the Edible Birds Nest body and soak them separately to allow longer soaking time. Edible Birds Nest corner is the first saliva secreted by swiftlet and becomes the hardest portion on both edges of Edible Birds Nest; therefore, it has the highest viscosity and needs longer soaking time (about 6 to 8 hours). In order to make it more water absorbable, it should be torn to into smaller pieces before soaking. Edible Birds Nest corner has bigger expandability than Edible Birds Nest body and has better mouth-feel.

4.Why stains are found on Edible Birds Nest?

Swiftlets may accidentally break the eggs during hatching and the nest is thus stained. Although stains do not look good, they will disappear after soaking. The presence of stains does not affect the nutritional value of Edible Birds Nest.

5.Why red Edible Birds Nest is red in color?

There are some misconceptions about red Edible Birds Nests. The most common misconception is that the red-colored Edible Birds Nests are formed by swiftlets which vomit their blood to build the nests. Another common misconception is that the red Edible Birds Nests are produced by a different species of swiftlet which consumes different kinds of water and/or food.
However, contrary to these popular misconceptions, swiftlets do not vomit blood, neither do they consume different kinds of water and food. All the so called “blood-red cubilose” on the market is fake. All the blood red nests are ordinary Edible Birds Nests that have been dyed, resulting in excessive nitrite levels. (http://foodsafety.suencs.com/archives/18586). Some dishonest vendors apply red dye to their Edible Birds Nests in order to fetch higher prices. Nitrite is used as a preservative in curing meat, and to make meat redder. (http://foodsafety.suencs.com/archives/18686). Hence, red Edible Birds Nests may be harmful rather than beneficial to humans.
For the foregoing reasons, We only sells only the highest quality, pure natural, white Edible Birds Nests.

6.Is cave Edible Birds Nest better than farmed Edible Birds Nest?

No. Cave Edible Birds Nests are more limited in quantity; and hence, the higher prices. However, unknown to many consumers, cave nests are not better than farmed nests. In fact, cave nests generally contain more foreign materials and feathers than farmed nests. As a result, cave nests are generally darker in color than farmed nests. Cave nests also have naturally thicker texture.

7.Do Edible Birds Nests that contain feathers have substandard quality?

No. It is normal for Edible Birds Nest containing some hair feathers. Since Edible Birds Nest is the home of swiftlets, it is natural that detached feathers would fall on the nest during swiftlets’ activities. Our workers meticulously and thoroughly remove these feathers. However, it is possible that a very minimal amount of feathers would remain due to their microscopic size. Bleaching is the only way to make all the feathers disappear. Edible Birds Nests that do not contain feathers at all, most likely have undergone chemical bleaching. We does not use any chemical or beaching agents in our processes. We sell only pure natural nests that are processed with chemical free and bleach free methods.

8.Why are cracks found on Edible Birds Nest?

For easy removing of feathers from Edible Birds Nest, workers may squeeze out narrow space from the nest tissue to pick out the feathers. However, this will not affect the quality of Edible Birds Nest.

9.Is that the color of Edible Birds Nest the whiter the better?

Edible Birds Nests have dark, light, bright and dim appearances. Their natural color is yellowish or ivory. This is because the food they eat is not purely white, and so is their saliva. If the Edible Birds Nest’s color is pure white, it may have probably been bleached.

10.What makes Edible Birds Nest have rejuvenation efficacy?

It is believed that the water-soluble protein of Edible Birds Nest contains both Mitogenic Stimulation Factor and Epidermic Growth Factor which some people believe can boost cell growth and tissue repair, as well as regulate the function of the endocrine system, thus help maintain fine skin.

11.Is old stock of Edible Birds Nest better than fresh Edible Birds Nest?

No. Edible Birds Nest comprises mainly of protein. The nutritional value of Edible Birds Nest will decrease after stored for a long time. It is suggested not to store Edible Birds Nest for over one year.

12.Edible Birds Nest dissolved in water after stewing. Is it fake ?

The stewing of Edible Birds Nest does not require long time. The stewing time differs according to the type of Edible Birds Nest.

13.Why use indirect heat to cook Edible Birds Nest?

It is hard to control the fire temperature when applying direct boiling. When Edible Birds Nest is heated to high temperature, its water-soluble proteins may be destroyed, losing its nutritional value. Simmering keeps the temperature of Edible Birds Nest at around 80 degree Celsius. This way, the water-soluble proteins are preserved - the aroma and nutrition of Edible Birds Nest are retained.

14.Why we have to stew Edible Birds Nest with rock sugar, but not brown sugar or white sugar?

According to Chinese medicine practitioners, rock sugar is the purest amongst other sugar. They believe that rock sugar is nourishing and can lubricate lung and supplement body energy. White sugar is easy to induce phlegm and brown sugar is hot in nature. So, rock sugar is the best sweetening agent to stew Edible Birds Nest.

15.How to make rock sugar syrup?

First, put some rock sugar in a cooking pot and add hot water. Stir from time to time while simmering until the rock sugar melts completely. Pour the rock sugar syrup into a bottle after it cools down and place in a refrigerator. Add rock sugar syrup to stewed Edible Birds Nest when served, according to your own taste. Generally, we recommend using 20 grams of rock sugar for every cup (250 ml) of water.

16.How to prepare Edible Birds Nest congee?

First, stew Edible Birds Nest with low heat. When done, mix it with a pot of cooking congee right before it reaches its boiling point. Boil together for about 3 to 5 minutes.

17.What is the appropriate amount of Edible Birds Nest for consumption?

1.1 to 2 tablespoonfuls daily, or 1 to 2 bowls weekly.
2.Edible Birds Nest is best absorbed when taken with an empty stomach, preferably in the morning.
3.Consuming Edible Birds Nest continuously increases its efficacy.
4.For beginner, it is suggested to take Edible Birds Nest daily. Frequency can be lowered after a certain period (say half a year). If taken every other day, stick to consistency.

18.What are the things we have to take note when taking Edible Birds Nest?

1.It is recommended to cook Edible Birds Nest by steaming (indirect heat) method. Direct cooking or boiling will lead to loss of its nutrient.
2.Edible Birds Nest should be steamed without adding any flavorings.
3.Steamed Edible Birds Nest and Edible Birds Nest congee are common for serving at home.
4.When Edible Birds Nest is served salty, add salt right before serving. If salt is added at the beginning of steaming, salt will decompose Edible Birds Nest evolving shrinkage and crispy results. You may choose to steam Edible Birds Nest together with chicken soup or mushroom soup instead.
5.When Edible Birds Nest is served sweet, add rock sugar syrup 15 minutes before steaming is done so as to preserve Edible Birds Nest’s quality. You may choose to prepare the serving together with coconut juice or almond juice.

19.Is it seasonal to consume Edible Birds Nest?

No. Consumption of Edible Birds Nest is fine for all seasons. In summer, serving of refrigerated Edible Birds Nest together with fresh fruits or cool milk is delicious and healthy. In winter, serve Edible Birds Nest together with meat can produce nourishing and stomach warming effect.

20.Can Edible Birds Nest be consumed when a person is in “Cool” or “Warm” body characteristic?

Yes. Edible Birds Nest is mild and calm in nature with plain taste. Therefore, it can be taken by any person having either “Cool” or “Warm” body characteristic.

21.Can a person catch a cold from consuming Edible Birds Nest?

No. According to ‘The Dictionary of Chinese Medication’, people having their lungs and stomachs in cold and weak state are not advisable to take Edible Birds Nest. Therefore, a person suffering from cold should eat Edible Birds Nest only after recovery.

22.What is the best way to preserve fresh Edible Birds Nest?

Store the Edible Birds Nest in the vegetable compartment of a refrigerator after purchase, or, on the day of purchase, and then put it inside a crisper or an airtight box. Edible Birds Nest can be stored for a long time in this way.