Bird nest: a potential product breakthrough

• Main Authors: Lee, Ting Hun, Tan, Eddie Ti Tjih, Abdul Aziz, Ramlan, Sarmidi, Mohamad Roji
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: QD Chemistry
• Online Access: http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/14882/; http://www.ibd.utm.my/icbwi16/?page_id=305

EBN (known in Chinese as Yan Wo, Indonesia as Sarang Walet, and Japanese as Enso) is the dried glutinous secretion of the salivary glands from Southern Asia swiftlets. Edible Bird’s Nest (EBN) was a significant item in the cuisine and pharmacy of the Emperors of China during the 16th century (Lau and Melville, 1994). EBN has been known considered to be one of the most precious food items by the Chinese for thousands of years (Ou et al., 2001). The EBN industry is a multimillion dollar enterprise as EBN is valued at USD 1600/kg and is one of the industries that are not affected by the global recession (Yeap, 2002).