\nby Jennifer Dick
\nuoguelph.ca\/research\/news<\/p>\n
One of the oldest Chinese delicacies \u2013 a bird\u2019s nest that\u2019s made from the saliva of the male swiftlet, and sells upwards for $4,000 per pound \u2013 has food experts around the world swooning for a taste of what\u2019s called the \u201cfood of the emperor,\u201d or the \u201ccaviar of the East.\u201d<\/p>\n
Only the male swiftlet, a small swallow native to Southeast Asia, can make the tiny crescent-shaped nests once each year before mating. The nest\u2019s small size (it weighs only a few grams), combined with the hazards undertaken by nest harvesters, explain the high cost.
\nBut as with any high-priced commodity, knock-offs are inevitable. And with upscale restaurant prices hovering around $80 per serving of a dish of \u201cbird\u2019s nest soup,\u201d diners want to make sure they\u2019re getting the real McCoy.<\/p>\n
Enter Discovery Channel. When it found the red or \u201cblood\u201d coloured nests fetching a premium at least three times greater than white nests \u2013 and saw the potential for the unscrupulous adulteration of the white nests, to turn them red — they asked University of Guelph food scientist Dr. Massimo Marcone to step in for some analysis.<\/p>\n
The Discovery Channel also wondered if there was a nutritional difference causing the price discrepancy.<\/p>\n
It turns out there isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cValue is a relative term,\u201d says Marcone. \u201cChemically, there isn\u2019t enough of a difference between the nests to justify the price difference. But this is the so-called emperor\u2019s food, and the red nests are rarer. When someone offers this nest to a person, they offer their heart, their very best \u2013 in that sense maybe the value is worth more than we even estimate.\u201d<\/p>\n
North America is the second largest market in the world for bird\u2019s nests, largely because of the traditional medicine market. Each year over 17 million nests are collected in Indonesia and its neighbouring countries for export, and demand seems to be increasing. This leaves many wondering about the effects of this trend on the swiflet populations, especially regarding harvesting procedures.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are regulations about harvesting \u2013 they are supposed to occur once the fledglings have gone but because of the high price the harvesters receive for the nests, many don\u2019t follow the rules,\u201d says Marcone. \u201cFor some it\u2019s a choice between conservation and putting food on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Chinese bird\u2019s nest market is also a threat to the people who harvest the nests. Nest harvesting is difficult and dangerous. It involves cave wall climbing and there\u2019s a high risk of getting caught in flooded caves.<\/p>\n
Work is being done to improve the conservation efforts for these birds. Some groups have developed barn-like structures so swiftlets can raise their young in safety. Harvesting is done when the fledglings have matured and left the nests. Marcone says creating such an industry could be a source of income for local people as well as meet the demands of the bird nest export market.<\/p>\n
But back to nutrition. Marcone has studied the differences in the coloured nests\u2019 compositions, and he says they\u2019re comprised mainly of protein and carbohydrates. Contrary to the belief that the \u201cblood\u201d nests are made from blood, they\u2019re simply rarer, and the nutrient composition varies only slightly form the white nests.<\/p>\n
And as for the dishonest harvesters who try to dye the nests red to fetch a higher price, there\u2019s no fooling Marcone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe nests that are genuinely red are permanently so,\u201d he says. \u201cIf it leeches too much red, it\u2019s dye.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jennifer Dick uoguelph.ca\/research\/news One of the oldest Chinese delicacies \u2013 a bird\u2019s nest that\u2019s made from the saliva of the male swiftlet, and sells upwards for $4,000 per pound \u2013 has food experts around the world swooning for a taste of what\u2019s called the \u201cfood of the emperor,\u201d or the \u201ccaviar of the East.\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[413],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n