How to distinguish real from fake bird's nest

According to Dr. Truong Hong Son, Director of the Vietnam Institute of Applied Medicine, bird's nest has a high nutritional content and is good for health. This food strengthens bones and brain, improves the digestive system, and boosts the immune system.

Typically, consumers find it difficult to distinguish between real and fake bird's nests through observation alone. This can lead to purchasing counterfeit or low-quality products. Fake bird's nests can be made from agar powder, starch, egg whites, vermicelli, and some compounds of unknown origin.

Consuming counterfeit bird's nest not only offers no health benefits but also negatively impacts overall health, potentially causing several undesirable side effects.

Bird's nest, or swallow's nest, is highly nutritious and good for health. (Illustrative image)

How to distinguish real from fake bird's nest

We can rely on the following criteria to distinguish between real and fake, low-quality bird's nests.

Color, bird's nest strands

Genuine bird's nests on the market come in three types: white bird's nest (opaque white), pink bird's nest (light pink or possibly turning yellow or orange), and blood bird's nest (characteristically red). Fake bird's nests are bright white and appear translucent when held up to the light. Additionally, genuine bird's nests clearly show interwoven strands.

Taste

A common method for testing the authenticity of bird's nest is by tasting it. Take a small strand and taste it. If it's not overly sweet and tastes like egg white, it's likely real. If it tastes sweet, you may have bought low-quality bird's nest, which is often mixed with sugar to improve binding.

The elasticity of bird's nest

You can test for real or fake bird's nest by gently squeezing it. If it feels brittle and easily breaks, it's a sign of real bird's nest. Fake bird's nest is mixed with many other substances, so it's usually softer and more elastic.

Soak in water

This is a simple and highly accurate method to distinguish real from fake bird's nests. When soaked in water, real bird's nests will gradually expand, retaining their original color, and have a characteristic fishy smell similar to egg whites. If the bird's nest dissolves in water, changes color, and emits a strange odor from additives, it is fake and of poor quality.

Things to note when using bird's nest.

Experts advise that bird's nest is a food that helps boost the body's immunity, but improper use or dosage can have adverse effects. For healthy individuals, regular consumption of bird's nest may not significantly impact health. However, for the elderly, young children, and sick people, consuming too much bird's nest can negatively affect the digestive system in particular and overall health in general. This is because bird's nest contains 45-55% protein, and consuming too much protein is not good for the body.

Therefore, the elderly and sick should only consume bird's nest 2-3 times a week, about 3g each time. Furthermore, experts recommend long-term and regular consumption of bird's nest. Children under one year old should not consume bird's nest in any form because their digestive system is not yet fully developed. They cannot fully absorb the nutrients from the bird's nest.

Children aged 1-3 years can start eating bird's nest or drinking bird's nest soup. However, because bird's nest is a highly nutritious food with a lot of protein, parents need to pay attention to the amount their children consume to avoid overeating, which is not good for their bodies. At this stage, parents can introduce bird's nest to their children, giving them about 1-2 grams at a time, three times a week.

Children aged 3-10 years old are in the stage of brain and physical development, making them the most suitable age to consume bird's nest. Bird's nest provides ample energy and nutrients for children, so they can eat 2-3 grams at a time, three times a week.

Nhu Loan

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cach-phan-biet-yen-that-gia-ar909635.html