Due to scarcity and labour intensive in harvesting, cave birdnest are usually higher in prices compare to house nest. But do you know that cave-harvested Bird’s Nest contain many impurities due to the uncontrolled cave environment. Especially there are many nocturnal animal like bats that co exist, therefore there is always a risk of unwanted substances in those nest, making them harder to clean.
There are many cases of bleaching to give it the pristine “white” colour while speeding up the cleaning process. Besides, cave bird nest are exposed to the risk of heavy metals contamination from external environmental factors. So, consume cave bird’s nest at your own risk!
Red Bird Nest
A few common misconception of red bird nest is that the blood from swiftlets are mix with saliva and the result is a crimson-colored liquid. Another explanation is the swiflet’s diet. Lotus flower seed, a common plant found in caves, have a dark red hue to them. As the swallow snack on it, it mixes with the their saliva, thereby giving their nest red in color.
The facts
Now that the edible bird’s nest industry is a multi-billion-dollar economy, scientists have taken notice and conducted multiple studies about the health benefits of bird’s nests as well as the origins of their colors. The most recent studies have shown that actual blood bird’s diet don’t have anything to do with the crimson-colored edible bird’s nest. Research proves that the nests get their color from common chemical reactions from the environment such as iron from the cave walls, dirty waters and poisons.
Since their caves tend to be saturated with humidity, the water and oxygen in the air mix with the minerals from the rocks and form a sort of “rust” that gives the nest its dazzling color. Other studies have explored the idea of the nests gaining their color by way of chemical reactions involving sodium nitrate derived from a mix of the bird’s droppings, urine and other environmental materials.
Hence, “blood bird nest” may be harmful rather than beneficial to human beings.
Hi Tang house harvested Bird Nest are located in rural location surrounded by clean and fresh air results in top quality Birds Nest where swiftlets are allowed to roam free and build their Bird’s Nest resulting in minimal impurities, often being at least 95-98% edible upon harvesting.