Doctor shows how to identify real and fake bird's nest

On average, real bird's nest will expand 6 times when soaked in water. On the contrary, fake bird's nest, after being processed, will expand very little because it is covered with impurities, so it becomes rough and cannot expand.

Specialist Doctor 2 Huynh Tan Vu, Day Treatment Unit, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City - Facility 3 said that using fake bird's nest in the early stages has almost no negative health effects. However, eating bird's nest soaked in bleach of unknown origin will affect the digestive system. Over time, it will increase the risk of cancer in the body. In addition, fake bird's nest has impurities that experts have warned of the risk of damaging the stomach wall. Over time, consumers will suffer from diseases such as liver failure and kidney failure, which directly affect their health.

"Bird's nest is increasingly popular. When buying, we should research carefully to avoid buying poor quality products that can negatively affect our health and that of our family," Dr. Vu advised.

Types of bird's nest on the market

According to Dr. Vu, there are 3 types of bird's nest on the market today:

Natural bird's nest (island bird's nest): This type of bird's nest is considered to have the highest value compared to other types because of its low yield and the very dangerous process of exploiting island bird's nest.

House swiftlets : Raised by investors in birdhouses, swiftlets are brought to live, build nests and harvested. Although called farmed swiftlets, this type of swiftlet in Vietnam still retains its wild nature during the process of living and building nests. Therefore, the nutritional content of this bird's nest is not inferior to that of island swiftlets.

To ensure safety and quality, consumers should buy products from reputable suppliers with clear certification.

ILLUSTRATION: TN

Fake bird's nest : These are fake bird's nest products or those mixed with substances such as seaweed, pork skin gelatin, fish skin, mushrooms, algae, etc. very sophisticatedly. Using these fake bird's nest products can be dangerous for consumers.

"The outstanding feature of real bird's nest is the overlapping, interconnected layers of fibers that look like loofah fibers. The interwoven bird's nest fibers can form an arc shape. Meanwhile, fake bird's nests are made from a mixture of sugar and starch, so the bird's nest fibers do not look natural. The fake bird's nest fibers are interwoven tightly and are much smoother than real bird's nests," Dr. Vu shared.

Some ways to distinguish between fake and real bird's nest

Doctor Vu said, to distinguish between real and fake bird's nest, we can try the following methods:

Taste and check the sweetness of bird's nest : Just take a small strand of bird's nest and taste it. If the strand of bird's nest is not too sweet, it tastes like egg white, then it is real bird's nest. If the bird's nest has a sweet taste, then this bird's nest has been mixed with sugar to create stickiness.

Examine the bird's nest under sunlight : Real bird's nest under sunlight, the bird's nest fibers are opaque white and light can pass through. As for fake bird's nest when exposed to light, the bird's nest fibers will reflect light and be transparent white.

Identify by the expansion of bird's nest : On average, real bird's nest will expand 6 times when soaked in water. When steamed for 30 to 40 minutes after expansion, real bird's nest fibers will never dissolve. On the contrary, fake bird's nest, after being processed, only expands very little because it is covered with impurities, so it becomes rough and cannot expand.

However, the above distinction is only for initial reference, especially in the absence of testing equipment. To ensure safety and quality, consumers should buy products from reputable suppliers with clear certification. Avoid buying unlabeled bird's nests at very cheap prices. Prioritize products with traceability, inspection certificates...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bac-si-chi-cach-nhan-biet-to-yen-that-gia-185250527092445439.htm