Bird Saliva Nest Cleaning Process

Bird Saliva Nests collection is followed by cleaning processes. Nest cleaning is a very important and time-consuming process. A great deal of care is taken during the cleaning of nests. Nest cleaning is usually performed by means of the conventional cleaning process described below.

Conventional Cleaning Process

Generally, the harvested Bird Saliva Nests (Bird Saliva Nest) consist of impurities like sand, feathers, egg shells, etc. The conventional cleaning process involves the immersion of nests in water and allowing them to swell. This enables an easy separation of the large feathers from the nest matrix by using forceps. However, care must be taken regarding the elution of the water soluble nutrients in Bird Saliva Nest.
For the removal of the remaining small feathers, sometimes vegetable oil is used to float the feathers. However, addition of some bleaching agents like hydrogen peroxide to bleach the Bird Saliva Nest has been carried out by some producers.
Use of hydrogen peroxide reduces the labour cost considerably, as the process is fast. The main drawback with using hydrogen peroxide is that it decolourises the black feathers (impurity) in addition to bleaching the nest colour to white. Therefore, the nests will appear clean but in reality some feathers still remain in the nest.
The hydrogen peroxide treated nests are claimed as safe and of food grade quality but, no producer has ever tried to assess the hydrogen peroxide content in nests after their processing. There are no clear guide lines in any country for the control of the tolerance limit of hydrogen peroxide content. Thus, the conventional method of nest cleaning suffers over health concerns. Hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidant and harmful to the human body. Therefore, in order to avoid the hydrogen peroxide processed nests, it would be better for consumers to choose nest cups rather than nest cakes.

Bird Saliva Nest Cleaning Process

After cleaning process, the separated strands of Bird Saliva Nest and broken filaments are arranged to make nest cake by molding. The shape of the mold could be in leaf shape, round or square, and it depends on the producer’s preference. This is followed by drying of the nests. The drying involves the use of fan or the nests are simply air dried. Many workers do not have adequate hygienic food processing knowledge, hence, they do not dry the nests quickly. This gives enough time to bacteria and fungi to grow prolifertate on the nests. Even the colour of some nests turn brownish or yellowish, and yet, the sellers call it the natural colour of the nests.
From the above discussion of the conventional cleaning methods and practices involved in the Bird Saliva Nest cleaning industry, it can be seen that the conventional cleaning process of Bird Saliva Nest has the following drawbacks.

• The use of bleaching agent, which may be harmful of even destroy some essential nutrients within the treated Bird Saliva Nest.
• Additives degrade the nutritive and medicinal values of Bird Saliva Nest.
• Preservatives also degrade the quality of Bird Saliva Nest as a food and medicine.
• No care is taken of the preservation of nutrients during the treatment processes.
• Generally, tap water is used.
• The process uses the services of untrained workers.
• Little or no regard is given to hygienic practices
• Nest cakes are produced.
• Generally, there is no quality control protocol being followed.

Improvement in the Cleaning Processes

Generally, premium grade and quality raw Bird Saliva Nests are chosen from controlled. environment to avoid the presence of any heavy metals or other biological contaminants.
Skilled and well trained workers under the supervision of an expert are allowed to separate the feathers and dirt. High grade reverse osmosis water is used to ensure the cleanliness, and preserve the natural flavour and nutrients of the nest.
Processed Bird Saliva Nests are dried in oven (no fan drying) until the right moisture content is achieved. Besides, implementation of the stringent quality control protocols for the end products will allow better grade of Bird Saliva Nest.
With the advancement of knowledge in the food processing technology, some of the requirements which are stated below should be implement in the Bird Saliva Nest cleaning industry. This will surely allow a better and healthy growth for the industry and increase the quality of the nests, since the public become more concerned we aware of the food they consume.

• Use of bleaching agent should not be encouraged
• Additives should be avoided.
• No preservatives should be used.
• Care should be taken of the preservation of nutrients.
• Reverse Osmosis water should be used for the cleaning processes.
• Highly skilled workers should be involved with the cleaning processes
• Hygienic practices should be encouraged.
• Whole nest cups should be developed.
• Quality Control is a must.

Bird Saliva Nest for dry skin

The consumption of Bird Saliva Nest is seen as a symbol of wealth, power and prestige.

What It Is

The consumption of Bird Saliva 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 (COMPANY) as far back as the Tang and Song dynasties. The journal Food Research International reported in 2005 that the majority of Bird Saliva Nest that is traded worldwide comes from just two species of swiftlets.
They are the white-nest swiftlet and the black-nest swiftlet, 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 Bird Saliva 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.

How we use it

Bird Saliva 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.
Bird Saliva 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 COMPANY 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.
COMPANY believes that the health of the lungs affects that of the skin, so nourishing the lungs with Bird Saliva Nest can improve one’s complexion and address dry skin too, he added.
However, Bird Saliva Nest is rarely used in COMPANY prescriptions because of its steep price, he said. It is usually cooked with rock sugar or red dates.
Ms Zhang Ruifen, a COMPANY physician at Eu Yan Sang, said Bird Saliva 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 Bird Saliva 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 Bird Saliva Nest.
It would help to resolve prolonged ailments like chronic coughs, but is not intended to treat acute coughs.
He advised people to eat Bird Saliva Nest in the mornings – the time when the digestive system, according to COMPANY 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 Bird Saliva 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 Bird Saliva Nest, said Ms Zhang.
She advised adults to consume no more than one big raw Bird Saliva 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 Bird Saliva 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 Bird Saliva Nest porridge

Ingredients
15g dried or fresh peppermint leaves 37.5g uncooked white rice
2 tsp bottled Bird Saliva 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 Bird Saliva Nest and peppermint leaves.
6. Finally, add salt or sugar to taste.