Article

Sketch of the edible bird's nest and its important bioactivities

October 2012
Food Research International 48(2):559–567

DOI:10.1016/j.foodres.2012.06.001

Authors:

The edible bird's nest is a nest made from the saliva of swiftlets (Aves: Apodidae). It is highly acclaimed as a catholicon and is a comprehensive health food. Increasing desire for the edible bird's nest makes the investigation of the nests urgent. There is a broad and growing interest in knowing more about the components and the nutritional and medicinal values of the edible bird's nest. This review discusses the research on the edible bird's nest currently, especially the research on its bioactivities. The content of water-soluble proteins, carbohydrates, inorganic salts, and various kinds of elements shows the important nutritional value of the edible bird's nest. The reported bioactivities and nutritional value of the edible bird's nest include the potential for mitogenic response, epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like activity, anti-influenza virus, hemagglutination-inhibitory activity, lectin-binding activity, improvement of bone strength and dermal thickness, and hormone content etc. In the future, more scientific work should be done to fully elucidate the biological and medicinal functions of the edible bird's nest. The relationships of components and functions of the nest should be studied more. Bioactive components need to be isolated and purified to make full use of the edible bird's nest.

Characteristics and trends in global Edible Bird’s Nest (EBN) research (2002–2021): a review and bibliometric study

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2023

Edible bird’s nest (EBN) is a valuable animal bioproduct produced by Swiftlets in Southeast Asia. Numerous researchers reported that EBN has rich nutritional value and high bioactive potential with numerous therapeutic benefits. For the first time, this paper evaluated the EBN research knowledge to conduct an in-depth statistical analysis and identify research trends, advancements, and hotspots. For this purpose, a combined methodologies based on bibliometric analysis and literature review was adopted. In total, 148 publications related to research EBN from 2002 to 2021 were identified. Three research hotspots were reviewed and discussed: (i) authentication and identification of EBN, (ii) beneficial and therapeutic properties of EBN, and (iii) EBN as active ingredients for functional food development. EBN has excellent potential as a value-ingredient with beneficial properties for commercial applications. Finally, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the EBN research trends and describes some current challenges and trends, which will remain the research focus and potent tool for future food scientists working on EBN functional food development. Graphical abstract

Nutrigenomics and Trace Elements: Hopes and Hypes for Parkinson’s Treatment

Chapter

Full-text available

Jun 2023

Wael Mohamed

The most common kind of neurological condition leading to mobility disability is Parkinson’s disease (PD). This illness is characterized by a wide variety of motor symptoms, such as tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia or akinesia, and postural instability. Nevertheless, motor and non-motor symptoms coexist in a person with PD. In many cases, a clinical diagnosis of PD may be more reliable. Nevertheless, a wide variety of other lab tests may help differentiate PD from other forms of parkinsonism. Treatments for PD include the use of levodopa. It is the gold standard treatment for motor symptoms associated with PD. Levodopa crosses the blood–brain barrier and is converted to dopamine in the substantia nigra’s dopamine-receiving neurons (SN). Antioxidants including melatonin, resveratrol, green tea, and lipoic acid have gained widespread attention as potential neuroprotective agents in recent years. As our understanding of nutrigenomics grows, we will be able to pinpoint the role that alterations in diet play in the breakdown of normally functioning systems and the development of pathological diseases. This information might be used to improve neuroprotective mechanisms by dietary changes and the introduction of novel, more beneficial natural compounds. Such mechanisms include increased expression of health-promoting genes and decreased expression of disease-promoting genes after brain damage or other pathologies. There are numerous potential neuroprotective techniques that might include this approach.

Edible Bird’s Nest: Seeing the Unseen

Chapter

Full-text available

Jun 2023

Wael Mohamed

Cognitive enhancement is the growth or augmentation of the mind's core capacities via the improvement or expansion of internal or external information processing systems. Edible bird nest (EBN) is a natural dietary ingredient formed from the saliva of edible velvet nests. Supplementation with EBN has been shown to boost brain growth in animals. During times of fast brain development, notably in premature newborns, the bioactivity and nutritional value of EBN are substantial. Nevertheless, the effect of EBN on learning and memory regulation is uncertain. This chapter attempts to show the neuroprotective properties of EBN and its possible cognitive-enhancing effects.KeywordsCognitive enhancementEdible bird nestNutritionNeuroprotection

Trace Elements in Brain Health and Diseases

Book

Jun 2023

Wael Mohamed

This book reviews the role of trace elements in brain development, function, metabolism, and neurodegenerative disorders. It explores the molecular mechanisms of the effects of trace elements on metabolic pathways, mitochondrial nutrients, neurodegeneration, Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders, cell signaling, and neuronal functions. The book also discusses transport mechanisms of trace elements within CNS and their impact on neurotransmitter biology. Further, it examines the deleterious effects due to dyshomeostasis of trace elements in the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in damage to neurons and glial cells through the generation of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress turn leading to neurodegeneration and neurological dysfunction. The book also explores the putative role of trace element deficiency in psychiatric disorders, including depression, and the imbalance of trace elements on neuronal genomic stability.

Edible Bird's Nest as a Potential Cognitive Enhancer

Article

Full-text available

May 2022

Cognitive enhancement is defined as the augmentation of the mind's core capabilities through the improvement of internal or external information processing systems. Recently, the focus has shifted to the potential therapeutic effects of natural products in improving cognitive function. Edible bird's nest (EBN) is a natural food substance derived from the saliva of swiftlets. Until today, EBN is regarded as a high-priced nutritious food with therapeutic effects. The effectiveness of dietary EBN supplementation to enhance brain development in mammals has been documented. Although the neuroprotection of EBN has been previously reported, however, the impact of EBN on learning and memory control and its potential as a cognitive enhancer drug remains unknown. Thus, this article aims to address the neuroprotective benefits of EBN and its potential effect as a cognitive enhancer. Notably, the current challenges and the future study direction in EBN have been demonstrated.

Role of Micronutrients in Brain Health

Book

Mar 2022

Wael Mohamed

This book comprehensively reviews the relationship between micronutrients and brain in health and diseases. It explains the relationship between micronutrients and brain functions, neurogenesis, and cognitive functions. The book also explores the relationship between micronutrients and brain disorders including depression, epilepsy, PD, and Autism. It further explores the recent advancements in understanding the important role of micronutrients as therapeutics in various brain disorders like TBI and AD. Lastly, it presents an overview of micronutrients as neuroprotective agents along with the main principles of nutrigenomics.

Phytochemicals as Micronutrients: What Is their Therapeutic Promise in the Management of Traumatic Brain Injury?

Chapter

Full-text available

Mar 2022

t Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the key causes of deaths and disabilities worldwide. TBI progresses in two phases. The primary phase of injury is the direct result of the physical damage caused by the external force applied to the brain while the secondary injury takes place minutes to days after the primary injury. The secondary phase of TBI is marked by a series of pathological events that start following the initial mechanical impact. The mechanisms underlying TBI pathogenesis in the secondary phase are intricate and include metabolic alterations, excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation, among others; all culminating in neuronal cell damage and death. Currently, there is no FDA-licensed drug that targets TBI. Hence, the search for novel therapeutic agents that can target one or more of the mechanisms underlying the pathology of the secondary phase of TBI is warranted. Such novel therapeutic agents are expected to ameliorate the adverse consequences of TBI

Characterization and Extraction Influence Protein Profiling of Edible Bird’s Nest

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2021

The edible bird nest (EBN) from Aerodramus fuciphagus has been consumed as a Chinese traditional food for health and medicinal purposes due to its elevated nutritional value. The present study focused on the influence of characterization and extraction methods on protein profiling, which could be a guideline for grading the EBN. The proposed extraction method is similar to the common food preparation methods of consumers and thus can accurately establish the bioactive protein available upon human consumption. The characterization includes physicochemical analysis (physical, morphology, elemental composition, and microbial content) and chemical analysis (crude protein and amino acid). The morphology of half-cup EBN was found to be uniformly shaped and rich in calcium as compared to rough surface of stripe-shaped EBN, and there was no significant microbial growth in both types of EBN. The crude protein and amino acid content in half-cup EBN were significantly higher than stripe-shaped EBN. The full stew (FS) and stew (SE) extraction methods produced a maximal yield of soluble protein. Sialic acid content in SE extract (8.47%, w/w) and FS extract (7.91%, w/w) were recorded. About seven parent proteins (39.15 to 181.68 kDa) were identified by LC-MS/MS Q-TOF, namely 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein, lysyl oxidase-3, Mucin-5AC-like, acidic mammalian chitinase-like, 45 kDa calcium-binding protein, nucleobindin-2, and ovoinhibitor-like. In conclusion, the characteristics and extraction methods influence the availability of bioactive protein and peptides, demonstrating the potential usage of EBN in improving its biological activities and nutritional properties.

The Authentication and Grading of Edible Bird’s Nest by Metabolite, Nutritional, and Mineral Profiling

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2021

Edible bird’s nest (EBN) produced by Aerodramus fuciphagus has a high demand for nutritional and medicinal application throughout the world. The present study was to evaluate the authentication of a man-made house EBN, which are half cup and stripe-shaped by FTIR. Next, both samples were compared according to their metabolite, nutritional, and mineral composition. The results indicated that the FTIR spectra of both EBN samples were identical and similar to the reference, suggesting the authenticity of the EBN used. The metabolites that contribute to the possible medicinal properties of EBN were found by using GC-MS. The results of the proximate analysis, followed by the standard AOAC method, inferred that both EBN shapes to be rich in crude protein and carbohydrate contents. However, the proximate composition between the half cup and stripe-shaped EBN showed significant differences. Major mineral elements detected were calcium and sodium, and magnesium contents were significantly different between both EBN. Additionally, the half cup and stripe-shaped EBN had a low level of heavy metal content than the maximum regulatory limit as set by the Malaysian Food Act 1983. This study concludes that the nutritional composition varied between the samples and thus suggests that nutrient content should be considered as criteria for the grading requirement of commercialized EBN.

Geographical Factor Influences the Metabolite Distribution of House Edible Bird's Nests in Malaysia

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2021

Background: Edible Bird's Nest (EBN) is famously consumed as a food tonic for its high nutritional values with numerous recuperative and therapeutic properties. EBN is majority exploited from swiftlet houses but the differences in terms of metabolite distribution between the production site of house EBN is not yet fully understood. Therefore, this study was designed to identify the metabolite distribution and to determine the relationship pattern for the metabolite distribution of house EBNs from different locations in Malaysia. Methods: The differences of metabolite distribution in house EBN were studied by collecting the samples from 13 states in Malaysia. An extraction method of eHMG was acquired to extract the metabolites of EBN and was subjected to non-targeted metabolite profiling via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Unsupervised multivariate analysis and Venn diagram were used to explore the relationship pattern among the house EBNs in Malaysia. The geographical distribution surrounded the swiftlet house was investigated to understand its influences on the metabolite distribution. Results: The hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) combined with correlation coefficient revealed the differences between the house EBNs in Malaysia with four main clusters formation. The metabolites distribution among these clusters was unique with their varied combination of geographical distribution. Cluster 1 grouped EBNs from Selangor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu which geographically distributed with major oil palm field in township; Cluster 2 included Perak and Sarawak with high distribution of oil palm in higher altitude; Cluster 3 included Perlis, Kelantan, Kedah, Penang from lowland of paddy field in village mostly and Cluster 4 grouped Sabah, Pahang, Johor which are majorly distributed with undeveloped hills. The metabolites which drove each cluster formation have happened in a group instead of individual key metabolite. The major metabolites that characterised Cluster 1 were fatty acids, while the rest of the clusters were peptides and secondary metabolites. Conclusion: The metabolite profiling conducted in this study was able to discriminate the Malaysian house EBNs based on metabolites distribution. The factor that most inferences the differences of house EBNs were the geographical distribution, in which geographical distribution affects the distribution of insect and the diet of swiftlet.

Tissue-engineered edible bird's nests (TeeBN)

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2023

Edible bird's nests (EBN)-the nests of swiftlet birds harvested from the wild- are high-end healthcare food in East Asia, while their excessive harvesting poses increasing ecological, environmental, and food safety concerns. Here, we report for the first time a tissue-engineering (TE) approach for fabricating EBNs substitutes by integrating the technologies of three-dimensional (3D) printing and live cell culture. The engineered products, tissue-engineered edible bird's nests (TeeBN), comprise two layers. The first is a feeding layer that encapsulates epithelial cells in 3D-printed biocompatible gelation scaffolds. These cells secrete bioactive ingredients, e.g., sialic acid and epidermal growth factors (EGF), recapitulating the natural production of these substances by birds. The second is a receiving layer, consisting of foodgrade natural polymers, e.g., polysaccharides, which mimics the building blocks of natural EBNs while biologically stabilizing the factors released from the feeding layer. In vitro characterizations demonstrate that the feeding layer facilitates 3D cell growth and functions, and the receiving layer (as the end product) contains the necessary nutrients expected from natural EBNs-while without harmful substances commonly detected in natural EBNs. Further, in vivo metabolomics studies in mice indicate that TeeBN showed a similar profile of serum metabolites as natural EBN, reflecting comparable nutritional effects. In summary, we innovatively developed a tissue engineering-based substitute for EBNs with comparable metabolic functions and minimized safety risks, opening a new avenue for producing delicacy food from laboratorial cell culture with 3D printing technology.

Recent advances in edible bird's nests and edible bird's nest hydrolysates

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2022

Edible bird's nest is built by swiftlet during breeding using salivary gland secretions, which have rich nutritional value, such as anti-aging, immunomodulatory, and antioxidant activity. As a result, the global demand for edible bird's nests has increased significantly. Swiftlet farmers, consumers, traders, and authorities are increasingly concerned about obtaining safe and high-quality edible bird's nests. On the other hand, subject to the limitations of the number of swiftlet populations and the ecological environment, exploring new food processing technologies to improve the utilization efficiency of edible bird's nest nutrition has also become the research frontier. Therefore, this study introduced the origin and classification of edible bird's nests in detail, presented the current situation of the edible bird's nest industry and the corresponding review measures of various countries, reviewed the efficacies of edible bird's nest, and introduced the new form of edible bird's nest utilization: edible bird's nest hydrolysates and their efficacies.

Edible bird's nest inhibits the inflammation and regulates the immunological balance of lung injury mice by SO2

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2022

The purpose was to investigate effect of edible bird's nest (EBN) on the immunological properties of mice with lung injury induced by sulfur dioxide (SO2). In mice, SO2 exposure caused symptoms that included a cough, tiredness, and weight loss. Administering EBN improved the immunological function of mice with lung injury in a dose‐dependent manner, leading to recovery of the lung tissue and increasing thymus and spleen indices. IL‐2 and IFN‐γ in the serum by Th1 cells in response to EBN played a leading role in cellular immune regulation. Moreover, a medium dose of EBN regulated the immune stress response, inhibited apoptosis of splenic lymphocytes, and promoted cellular immunity. EBN inhibited production of IL‐8 and MDA and upregulated mRNA expression of atrophin‐1 and cyclooxygenase‐2 in lung tissue. EBN attenuates the lung injury induced by SO2 in mice through a mechanism that involves the inhibition of inflammation and regulation of immunological balance. EBN attenuates the lung injury induced by SO2 in mice through a mechanism that involves the inhibition of inflammation and regulation of immunological balance.

Classification of edible bird’s nest samples using a logistic regression model through the mineral ratio approach

Article

Feb 2022
FOOD CONTROL

Cave-harvested edible bird nest (EBN) is a high-priced commodity, that often being counterfeited with lower-priced house-farmed EBN. In this study, cave-harvested EBN and house-farmed EBN were classified based on to the concentration of calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K) present. To solve the convergence failure problem caused by the complete separation of the EBN data, a logistic regression model analysis on 48 EBN samples harvested from Malaysia and Indonesia through a mineral ratio approach was adopted. Out of the 3 logistic regression models developed, the model consisting of Ca/Na ratio and Mg/K ratio gave the best performance showing no convergence failure of Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) and both the explanatory variables were highly significant. The result indicated that both Ca/Na ratio and Mg/K ratio, affecting the probability of EBN type to be cave-harvested EBN in a positive manner. The logistic regression model developed with the Ca/Na ratio and Mg/K ratio gave a 100% specificity and 91.67% sensitivity in classifying the EBN type. The results of the analysis were verified using the Receiver Operating Characteristics curves. The validation result indicated that the model has a very good overall diagnostic accuracy in classifying the EBN type based on the mineral ratio.

Combined enzymatic hydrolysis and herbal extracts fortification to boost in vitro antioxidant activity of edible bird’s nest solution

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2021

Objective Edible bird’s nest (EBN) is a popular traditional tonic food in Chinese population for centuries. Malaysia is one of the main EBN suppliers in the world. This study aims to explore the best strategy to boost the antioxidant potential of EBN solution. Methods In this study, the raw EBN (4%, mass to volume ratio) was initially enzymatic hydrolyzed using papain enzyme to produce EBN hydrolysate (EBNH), then spray-dried into powdered form. Next, 4% (mass to volume ratio) of EBNH powder was dissolved in ginger extract (GE), mulberry leaf extract (MLE) and cinnamon twig extract (CTE) to detect the changes of antioxidant activities, respectively. Results Results obtained suggest that enzymatic hydrolysis significantly reduced the viscosity of 4% EBN solution from (68.12 ± 0.69) mPa.s to (7.84 ± 0.31) mPa.s. Besides, the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total soluble protein, DPPH scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were substantially increased following EBN hydrolysis using papain enzyme. In addition, fortification with GE, MLE and CTE had further improved the TPC, TFC, DPPH scavenging activity and FRAP of the EBNH solution. Among the samples, MLE-EBNH solution showed the most superior antioxidant potential at (86.39 ± 1.66)% of DPPH scavenging activity and (19.79 ± 2.96) mmol/L FeSO4 of FRAP. Conclusion This study proved that combined enzymatic hydrolysis and MLE fortification is the best strategy to produce EBN product with prominent in vitro antioxidant potential. This preliminary study provides new insight into the compatibility of EBN with different herbal extracts for future health food production.

Neuroprotective effect of edible bird's nest on chronic cerebral hypoperfusion induced neurodegeneration in rats

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2021
CLIN NEUROPHYSIOL

Introduction. Alzheimer’s disease is marked by insufficient blood supply to the brain, leads to progressive loss of memory and cognitive skills. Continuous reduction of cerebral blood flow as a result of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion leads to overproduction of reactive oxygen species that may cause cognitive decline. Until now there is no available curative treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the only available option is symptomatic treatment. Recent alternative medicines have underscored the neuroprotective and antioxidant ability of the edible bird’s nest (EBN). The current study evaluates the effects of EBN on hippocampal neurons specifically in the CA1 hippocampal region by using chronic cerebral hypoperfusion- induced neurodegeneration in rat model. Methods. Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion was induced by permanent bilateral common carotid arteries occlusion (2VO) in rats that triggers the neuroinflammatory processes. The rats were divided into 4 groups: Sham group, 2VO group, and two 2VO groups treated with 2 different doses (60,120 mg/kg) of EBN, which was administered daily by oral gavage. After 8 consecutive weeks, rats were euthanized and the hippocampi were examined histopathologically by counting the viable neuronal cells and the level of F2 Isoprostane in hipoocampal tissue was measured by ELISA. Results. A significant decrease in the neuronal cell death and significant decline in F2 Isoprostane level was shown in the group of rats treated with EBN. Conclusion. CCH, which was triggered by 2VO, causes reduction in viable neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region. This damage could be ameliorated by administration of EBN, which exhibits a neuroprotective effect via increasing the viable neuronal cell count and decline in oxidative stress level. Our results underscored the possible effects of EBN in delaying the progression of dementia in AD patients if used early in the disease. It is safe supplement that could be used prophylactically for a long time.

Potential Residual Contaminants in Edible Bird's Nest

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2021

Edible bird’s nest (EBN) is recognized as a nourishing food among Chinese people. The efficacy of EBN was stated in the records of traditional Chinese medicine and its activities have been reported in many researches. Malaysia is the second largest exporter of EBNs in the world, after Indonesia. For many years, EBN trade to China was not regulated until August 2011, when a safety alert was triggered for the consumption of EBNs. China banned the import of EBNs from Malaysia and Indonesia due to high level of nitrite. Since then, the Malaysia government has formulated Malaysia Standards for swiftlet farming (MS 2273:2012), edible bird’s nest processing plant design and management (MS 2333:2010), and edible bird’s nest product quality (MS 2334:2011) to enable the industry to meet the specified standards for the export to China. On the other hand, Indonesia's EBN industry formulated a standard operating procedure (SOP) for exportation to China. Both countries can export EBNs to China by complying with the standards and SOPs. EBN contaminants may include but not limited to nitrite, heavy metals, excessive minerals, fungi, bacteria, and mites. The possible source of contaminants may come from the swiftlet farms and the swiftlets or introduced during processing, storage, and transportation of EBNs, or adulterants. Swiftlet house design and management, and EBN processing affect the bird’s nest color. Degradation of its optical quality has an impact on the selling price, and color changes are tied together with nitrite level. In this review, the current and future prospects of EBNs in Malaysia and Indonesia in terms of their quality, and the research on the contaminants and their effects on EBN color changes are discussed.

Recent advancement of intelligent-systems in edible birds nest: A review from production to processing

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2023
MULTIMED TOOLS APPL

Edible Bird Nest (EBN) constitutes a thriving industry in several Southeast Asian nations where its value chain encompasses several critical processes starting with nest harvesting to processing, and finally sales. However, a detailed review addressing EBN production from an intelligent system perspective is currently missing. Hence, this paper aims to document a comprehensive study of the various parts of the EBN value chain, where machine-intelligence has been incorporated into various solutions. We classified all the EBN processes into three primary segments: farming and production, quality control, and market analysis. In farming and production, two key areas emerge. First, there is process analysis which involves Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) as well as profit, cost, and efficiency analysis, while swiftlet house monitoring pinpoints the optimal environment for swiftlets to flourish. On the other hand, works related to the second segment of quality control can be divided two primary approaches: image analysis which involves either auto-grading or automatic impurities inspection, and chemical analysis to ascertain the origin and authenticity of the EBN. The third and final domain of market analysis, covers both business strategy and customer behavior analysis. We have identified the integration of cutting-edge intelligent methods in each area while offering recommendations for future work. Our findings also unveiled intricate patterns, networks, relationships, and trends in the application of machine intelligence within the EBN value chain. These insights highlight many underexplored areas as well as several strategic aspects in this emerging industry.

A current insight and future perspective of edible bird nest as caviar of the east

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2023
Farmatsiia

Edible bird’s nest (EBN) is a highly valuable food product obtained from swiftlet nests, primarily those of the Aerodramus genus. Due to its purported health benefits and exceptional taste, EBN is often referred to as the “caviar of the East.” This abstract presents a comprehensive review of the current state of EBN research, focusing on its chemical composition, nutritional value, pharmacological effects, and safety considerations. The chemical composition of EBN is intricate and influenced by various factors, including bird species, geographic origin, nest collection time, and processing methods. It is primarily composed of proteins, polysaccharides, minerals, lipids, and a wide range of bioactive compounds such as sialic acid, amino acids, and antioxidants. Additionally, EBN has demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and anti-aging properties attributed to these bioactive constituents. While EBN is generally considered safe for human consumption, it is essential to address concerns related to potential contaminants like heavy metals, microbial pathogens, and allergens. This review offers a comprehensive overview of previous research conducted on residual impurities that may be present in edible bird’s nests (EBNs). The review encompasses various aspects, including, the regulatory framework and associated concerns regarding EBNs, the levels of nitrite and nitrate detected in EBNs, the presence of bacteria, fungi, and mites in EBNs, the identification of allergenic substances in EBNs, and the presence of heavy metals and excessive mineral content at different stages of EBN processing, including raw uncleaned (RUC) EBNs, raw cleaned (RC) EBNs, and EBNs after undergoing treatment. Graphical abstract :

Sabah Snake Grass (SSG) pearls for food application.

Conference Paper

Full-text available

Jul 2017

Food Safety Management System in Edible Bird’s Nest Industry: A Review

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2023

Siti Gusti Ningrum

Background: Food safety management systems such as ISO 22000:2018 have many advantages in solving this newcomer industry's problems. It has enabled the edible bird’s nest industry to plan, implement, operate, maintain, and update an FSMS providing edible bird’s nest products and safe services. Purpose: This review article delineates the role of the food safety management system (FSMS) in improving quality control, production performance, and economic effects in the edible bird’s nest industry. Method: This study was a literature review that collected sources from books and journals. Results: Hence, the evaluation and assessment could be adequate to meet regulatory food safety requirements. FSMS possess division properties such as quality control, production, marketing, purchasing, general affair, human resources, warehouse, and maintenance. They also have veterinary control numbers and animals quarantine installation, enhancing the edible bird’s nest industry's overall quality control and production performance in Indonesia. Conclusion: The findings of the current review depicted the tremendous potential of cleaning development, which could be explored with the recent advancements in science and technology. The advantages of compelling communication of food safety issues from the FSMS ensure that the edible bird’s nest industry conforms to its stated food safety policy and relevant interested parties in fulfilling the trade requirements set by the export/importing destination country.

Dietary sialic acids: distribution, structure, and functions

Article

Apr 2023
CRIT REV FOOD SCI

Sialic acids (Sias), a group of over 50 structurally distinct acidic saccharides on the surface of all vertebrate cells, are neuraminic acid derivatives. They serve as glycan chain terminators in extracellular glycolipids and glycoproteins. In particular, Sias have significant implications in cell-to-cell as well as host-to-pathogen interactions and participate in various biological processes, including neurodevelopment, neurodegeneration, fertilization, and tumor migration. However, Sia is also present in some of our daily diets, particularly in conjugated form (sialoglycans), such as those in edible bird’s nest, red meats, breast milk, bovine milk, and eggs. Among them, breast milk, especially colostrum, contains a high concentration of sialylated oligosaccharides. Numerous reviews have concentrated on the physiological function of Sia as a cellular component of the body and its relationship with the occurrence of diseases. However, the consumption of Sias through dietary sources exerts significant influence on human health, possibly by modulating the gut microbiota’s composition and metabolism. In this review, we summarize the distribution, structure, and biological function of particular Sia-rich diets, including human milk, bovine milk, red meat, and egg.

Enzyme-Digested Edible Bird’s Nest (EBND) Prevents UV and Arid Environment-Induced Cellular Oxidative Stress, Cell Death and DNA Damage in Human Skin Keratinocytes and Three-Dimensional Epithelium Equivalents

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2023

The aim of this study is to investigate the repressive effects of enzyme-digested edible bird’s nest (EBND) on the combination of arid environment and UV-induced intracellular oxidative stress, cell death, DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and inflammatory responses in human HaCaT keratinocytes and three-dimensional (3D) epithelium equivalents. An oxygen radical antioxidant capacity assay showed that EBND exhibited excellent peroxyl radical scavenging activity and significantly increased cellular antioxidant capacity in HaCaT cells. When EBND was administered to HaCaT cells and 3D epitheliums, it exhibited significant preventive effects on air-drying and UVA (Dry-UVA)-induced cell death and apoptosis. Dry-UVA markedly induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in HaCaT cells and 3D epitheliums as quantified by CellROX® Green/Orange reagents. Once HaCaT cells and 3D epitheliums were pretreated with EBND, Dry-UVA-induced intracellular ROS were significantly reduced. The results from anti-γ-H2A.X antibody-based immunostaining showed that EBND significantly inhibited Dry-UVA-induced DSBs in HaCaT keratinocytes. Compared with sialic acid, EBND showed significantly better protection for both keratinocytes and 3D epitheliums against Dry-UVA-induced injuries. ELISA showed that EBND significantly suppressed UVB-induced IL-6 and TNF-α secretion. In conclusion, EBND could decrease arid environments and UV-induced harmful effects and inflammatory responses in human keratinocytes and 3D epithelium equivalents partially through its antioxidant capacity.

A Review Paper on The New Business Factors for The Malaysian Edible Bird Nest Swiftlet Ranching Industry

Article

Full-text available

May 2022

The overall goal of this research is to understand on by equating characteristics of starting a business in previous research, its items of creating a bird nest for manufacturers. The 10 characteristics of the new business factors include invention, knowledge, resources, state subsidies, manpower, marketing program, geographical position, swiftlet risks, and Edible Bird’s Nest (EBN) farming tools. The majority of entrepreneurs lacked basic management skills when they first begun. Giving up on the process can lead to many of them failing, resulting in further losses. Furthermore, to compete in today's market, a beginning firm needs highly skilled, dedicated personnel as well as innovative management. As a result, the elements that affect the overall performance of this research focuses on new businesses in the Edible Bird's Nest (EBN) industry. In this study, a few ways will be used to offer feedback on whether certain techniques are effective or poor for creating bird nests, as evaluated by a bird nest method entrepreneur. This research helps to a deeper knowledge of the entire new economic features of the Edible Bird's Nest (EBN) Swiftlet Output value Industry. Furthermore, these discoveries will have the effect of expanding Edible Bird’s Nest (EBN) output, particularly for export, as well as the ranching industry's economy

Antioxidant Capacity and Sensory Quality of Soy-Based Powder Drink Mix Enriched with Functional Hydrolysates of Swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus)

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2023

The enrichment with low amount of bioactive protein of spray-dried edible bird’s nest hydrolysates (EBNH) (3.0%) in view of its cost and high solubility provided significant value added to the overall in vitro antioxidant capacity of soy-based powder drink mix (PDM). Its beverage (12.5% concentration, consistency index 0.39 Pa.sn) antioxidant capacity as measured by ABTS and FRAP was comparable (p>0.05) but significantly higher than antioxidant assays of FCR and DPPH. The respective antioxidant capacity of the PDM beverage in terms of trolox equivalent (TE) and gallic acid equivalent (GAE) were 21.95 TE mg/g, 20.75 TE mg/g, 2.93 TE mg/g and 14.72 GAE mg/g for FRAP, ABTS, DPPH and FCR. Depending on antioxidant assay, EBNH in beverage of PDM contributed an increase in the range of 3.7-9.3% (which was significant (p<0.05) according to ABTS and FCR assays) or about 6.0% to its overall antioxidant capacity. The interaction among the antioxidant activity of all the food product’s ingredients is antagonistic since the difference between the expected and observed total antioxidant potential is significantly higher (p<0.05) for all antioxidants assays, except FCR. The beverage of PDM has excellent sensory quality. It is sugar free and high protein PDM that has excellent cocoa flavour and possesses sufficient sweetness with acceptable beany aroma and taste when served as hot beverage.

Revealing the species-specific genotype of the edible bird’s nest-producing swiftlet, Aerodramus fuciphagus and the proteome of edible bird’s nest

Article

Jul 2022
FOOD RES INT

Only a few species of swiftlets in the Aerodramus and Collocalia genera can produce edible bird's nests (EBN). These saliva-cemented nests have been consumed as delicacies for centuries in Asia. Many researches have reported the aqueous extract of EBN has epidermal growth factor-like (EGF-like) activity. However, no standalone EGF has been identified in EBN. Moreover, proteome of EBN remained unclear due to lack of genomic data base of an EBN-producing swiftlet to support proteomic analysis of EBN. To address this, the first genome of the EBN-producing swiftlet, Aerodramus fuciphagus, was constructed. Orthology comparison of A. fuciphagus with 10 other avian species were conducted. The results revealed that the number of predicted paralogous coiled-coil domain-containing protein 63 (CCDC63) coding sequences (CDSs) in A. fuciphagus was found to be significantly expanded in comparison to Gallus gallus. There were 3 paralogous CCDC63 genes in the genome of A.fuciphagus. The CDSs predicted from the genome of A. fuciphagus were used to construct a database for proteomic analysis of EBN. In total, 398 proteins have been identified in EBN. The proteome of EBN was significant enriched with extracellular proteins as well as proteins related to extracellular matrix (ECM) organization and immune response. A few proteins with Ca²⁺-binding EGF-like domains were found in the proteome of EBN, like fibrillin-1, protocadherin fat 4 and coagulation factor X. No standalone EGF protein was identified. This indicated that the proteins with EGF-like domains might be responsible for the EGF-like activity of EBN. In addition, acidic mammalian chitinase and lysyl oxidase in EBN were found to be active when extracting with distilled water at room temperature. The current study has not just revealed the species-specific genotype of the EBN-producing swiftlet, A. fuciphagus, but also revealed the proteome of EBN. This established an important foundation for subsequently studies on efficacies of EBN.

Development of a hybrid autoencoder model for automated edible bird’s nest impurities inspection

Article

Jun 2022
J ELECTRON IMAGING

Long-Term Wi-Fi Exposure From Pre-Pubertal to Adult Age on the Spermatogonia Proliferation and Protective Effects of Edible Bird’s Nest Supplementation

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2022

Children are vulnerable to the radiofrequency radiation (RFR) emitted by Wi-Fi devices. Nevertheless, the severity of the Wi-Fi effect on their reproductive development has been sparsely available. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the Wi-Fi exposure on spermatogonia proliferation in the testis. This study also incorporated an approach to attenuate the effect of Wi-Fi by giving concurrent edible bird’s nest (EBN) supplementation. It was predicted that Wi-Fi exposure reduces spermatogonia proliferation while EBN supplementation protects against it. A total of 30 (N = 30) 3-week-old Sprague Dawley weanlings were divided equally into five groups; Control, Control EBN, Wi-Fi, Sham Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi + EBN. 2.45 GHz Wi-Fi exposure and 250 mg/kg EBN supplementation were conducted for 14 weeks. Findings showed that the Wi-Fi group had decreased in spermatogonia mitosis status. However, the mRNA and protein expression of c-Kit-SCF showed no significant decrease. Instead, the reproductive hormone showed a reduction in FSH and LH serum levels. Of these, LH serum level was decreased significantly in the Wi-Fi group. Otherwise, supplementing the Wi-Fi + EBN group with 250 mg/kg EBN resulted in a significant increase in spermatogonia mitotic status. Even though EBN supplementation improved c-Kit-SCF mRNA and protein expression, the effects were insignificant. The improvement of spermatogonia mitosis appeared to be associated with a significant increase in blood FSH levels following EBN supplementation. In conclusion, the long-term Wi-Fi exposure from pre-pubertal to adult age reduces spermatogonia proliferation in the testis. On the other hand, EBN supplementation protects spermatogonia proliferation against Wi-Fi exposure.

Bioactive sialylated-mucin (SiaMuc) glycopeptide produced from enzymatic hydrolysis of edible swiftlet’s nest (ESN): degree of hydrolysis, nutritional bioavailability, and physicochemical characteristics

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2022

The swiftlet’s nest is an edible bird’s nest (EBN) produced from dried gelatinized saliva secreted by swiftlets during the breeding season. It is widely used in industries for its high nutritional values and health benefits. However, the utilization of ESN is restricted due to its physicochemical properties, such as insolubility. The recently invented bioactive ESN hydrolyzate is reported to improve the ESN’s solubility, functional and nutritional properties to broaden its application. This study has produced bioactive ESN hydrolyzates with different hydrolysis periods to investigate the optimum conditions to achieve maximized degree of hydrolysis (DH) and to compare the physicochemical differences. The result revealed that optimum ESN hydrolysis was at 90 minutes, in which the DH and enhanced solubility (three folds) indicated a complete breakdown of glycoprotein into bioactive glycopeptide. This result is in line with the physicochemical analyses result. The hydrolysis has significantly decreased (p ≤ .05) the ESN protein content, while the levels for peptide, glycopeptide, polysaccharides, and sialic acid showed the opposite. Interestingly, the amino acid from raw ESN and hydrolyzates in all incubation periods showed no significant difference (p ≤ .05). This result suggests that the ESN biological properties remained unchanged with alcalase hydrolysis. Therefore, the findings in this study confirm the feasibility of bioactive ESN hydrolyzate as a versatile product suitable for various industries in utilizing ESN in whole instead of as extracts.

A Study on the Skin Whitening Activity of Digesta from Edible Bird’s Nest: A Mucin Glycoprotein

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2021

Edible bird’s nest (EBN) is an unusual mucin glycoprotein. In China, it is popular among consumers due to its skin whitening activity. However, the relationship between protein, sialic acid, and the whitening activity of EBN after digestion is still unclear. In the present work, the whitening activity (antioxidant activity and tyrosinase inhibitory activity) of digested EBN were studied by HepG2 and B16 cell models. The dissolution rate of protein and sialic acid was 49.59% and 46.45% after the simulated digestion, respectively. The contents of free sialic acid and glycan sialic acid in EBN digesta were 17.82% and 12.24%, respectively. HepG2 cell experiment showed that the digested EBN had significant antioxidant activity, with EC50 of 1.84 mg/mL, and had a protective effect on H2O2-induced oxidative damage cells. The results of H2O2-induced oxidative damage showed that the cell survival rate increased from 40% to 57.37% when the concentration of digested EBN was 1 mg/mL. The results of the B16 cell experiment showed that the digested EBN had a significant inhibitory effect on tyrosinase activity, and the EC50 value of tyrosinase activity was 7.22 mg/mL. Cell experiments showed that free sialic acid had stronger antioxidant activity and tyrosinase inhibitory activity than glycan sialic acid. The contribution rate analysis showed that protein component was the main antioxidant component in digestive products, and the contribution rate was 85.87%; free sialic acid was the main component that inhibited tyrosinase activity, accounting for 63.43%. The products of the complete digestion of EBN are suitable for the development of a new generation of whitening health products.

The effect of dynamic high‐pressure microfluidization on the physicochemical and digestive properties of proteins in insoluble fraction of edible bird's nest

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2021

Dynamic high-pressure microfluidization (DHPM) has been demonstrated as an effective method to increase the solubility of proteins in water-insoluble fraction of edible bird's nests (EBNIP). Here, we further explored the effects of DHPM treatment on the physicochemical and digestive properties of EBNIP. The results showed that DHPM treatment led to the increases in fat absorption capacities, foaming properties, and emulsifying properties of EBNIP with decreased water-holding capacity being observed. This might result from the mechanical force during DHPM treatment can unfold the protein molecular chain, destroy the hydrogen bonds and inter-linkage between protein molecules. In addition, the EBNIP samples with DHPM treatment exhibited increased in vitro digestibility, the degree of hydrolysis and free sialic acid release in in vitro gastrointestinal digestion assay. In conclusion, DHPM could be applied as a novel and effective processing method to modify protein macromolecules in production of edible bird's nest (EBN)-related food.

Protective Effect of Edible Bird’s Nest on Ovaries of Cycling Female Rats Subjected to Cadmium Toxicity

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2021

Cadmium (Cd), a toxic heavy metal, is often associated with the reproductive disorders of mammals. The edible bird’s nest (EBN) is a naturally occurring food product made from the saliva of swiftlet birds (Aerodramus fuciphagus & Aerodramus maximus) in the form of a nest, and it has been consumed as healthy food or tonic for decades. This research aimed to study the possible protective effects of EBN against Cd toxicity in ovaries of Sprague Dawley rats. Thirty (30) female Sprague Dawley rats were assigned into five groups as follows: group 1-Negative control (NC) received distilled water; group 2-positive control (PC) administered with CdCl2, 5mg/kg BW; while groups EBN 1, EBN 2, and EBN 3 received CdCl2 (5mg/kg BW) concurrently with graded concentrations of 60, 90 and 120 mg/kg BW of EBN, respectively. After four weeks of treatment, rats were euthanized to collect ovaries for histopathological studies using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain. Expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were analyzed through immunohistochemistry, and levels of superoxidase dismutase (SOD) were assessed using a SOD assay kit. Oral administration of CdCl2 without EBN supplement resulted in significantly decreased (p<0.05) immunohistochemical expressions of VEGF in ovarian tissue and a decrease (p<0.05) in the activity of SOD. Moreover, ovarian histopathological changes, including follicular cysts and a significant increase (p<0.05) in the number of atretic follicles, while a decrease in the number of growing follicles was noted in Cd only treated group. Animals treated with CdCl2 and EBN at three different dosages resulted in significantly increased (p<0.05) expressions of VEGF in ovarian tissues, low degenerative changes with normal histomorphology as well as significantly increased (p<0.05) SOD activity as compared to the PC group. Overall, the findings revealed that oral exposure to Cd at a dose rate of 5 mg/kg BW resulted in significant alterations in ovaries, as evidenced by a lower degree of VEGF expression along with reduced antioxidant activity and histomorphological changes. Meanwhile, EBN proved to exhibit a significant protective role against Cd toxicity in ovaries, possibly through its antioxidant effect.

Immunological Analytical Techniques for Cosmetics Quality Control and Process Monitoring

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2021

Cosmetics analysis represents a rapidly expanding field of analytical chemistry as new cosmetic formulations are increasingly in demand on the market and the ingredients required for their production are constantly evolving. Each country applies strict legislation regarding substances in the final product that must be prohibited or regulated. To verify the compliance of cosmetics with current regulations, official analytical methods are available to reveal and quantitatively determine the analytes of interest. However, since ingredients, and the lists of regulated/prohibited substances, rapidly change, dedicated analytical methods must be developed ad hoc to fulfill the new requirements. Research focuses on finding innovative techniques that allow a rapid, inexpensive, and sensitive detection of the target analytes in cosmetics. Among the different methods proposed, immunological techniques are gaining interest, as they make it possible to carry out low-cost analyses on raw materials and finished products in a relatively short time. Indeed, immunoassays are based on the specific and selective antibody/antigen reaction, and they have been extensively applied for clinical diagnostic, alimentary quality control and environmental security purposes, and even for routine analysis. Since the complexity and variability of the matrices, as well as the great variety of compounds present in cosmetics, are analogous with those from food sources, immunological methods could also be applied successfully in this field. Indeed, this would provide a valid approach for the monitoring of industrial production chains even in developing countries, which are currently the greatest producers of cosmetics and the major exporters of raw materials. This review aims to highlight the immunological techniques proposed for cosmetics analysis, focusing on the detection of prohibited/regulated compounds, bacteria and toxins, and allergenic substances, and the identification of counterfeits.

A preliminary study on the effects of E-Z Mixin® and EquiPlus® extenders supplemented with Edible Bird’s Nest on the quality of chilled Arabian stallion semen

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2021
Anim Reprod

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of adding different concentrations of edible bird’s nest (EBN) which is secreted by swiftlet birds (Aerodramus fuciphagus), into EquiPlus® and E-Z Mixin® extenders on the quality of chilled Arabian stallion semen at various storage times (0, 24 and 48 h). Ten ejaculates were collected from five stallions, and diluted using the two extenders containing 0% (control), 0.12%, 0.24% and 0.24% of EBN + seminal plasma (SP). All the diluted semen samples were then cooled and stored at 5 °C, and examined at 0, 24 and 48 h. Sperm kinetic parameters were assessed using computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA) and viability were assessed using Hoechst33342/PI stain. In both extenders, total motility (TM) and progressive motility (PM) were significantly higher at 0.12% and 0.24% compared to 0.24% + SP at 24 and 48 h. At 0.12%, E-Z mixin® treated semen had significantly higher TM and PM than EquiPlus® at 24 and 48 h. At 0.12% and 0.24%, average path velocity (VAP), straight-line velocity (VSL) and curvilinear velocity (VCL) were significantly higher in E-Z mixin® treated semen compared to EquiPlus® at 24 and 48 h. Comparisons between the two extender types at different concentrations of EBN showed no significant difference in lateral head amplitude (ALH), linearity (LIN), straightness (STR), beat cross frequency (BCF) and viability, irrespective of the storage time. The percentage of viable was significantly higher in E-Z mixin® than EquiPlus® at 0 and 48 h in control and 0.12%. Supplementation of the E-Z mixin® extender with 0.12% and 0.24% EBN concentrations in the absence of SP provided better CASA parameters such as TM, PM, VAP, VSL, and VCL at 24 and 48 h storage time. In conclusion, the results of this study indicated that chilled semen from Arabian stallion that was extended using E-Z mixin® and supplemented with 0.12% and 0.24% EBN concentrations performed better and yielded superior results in sperm kinetic parameters and % viable compared to EquiPlus® at 24 and 48 h storage time

The dietary, productivity, and economic value of swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus) farming in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2021

Edible-nest swiftlets have many health benefits. The availability of edible-nest swiftlets from caves is decreasing, while the demand for edible-nest swiftlets is getting higher. Swiftlet farming is carried out to meet this demand. The location of swiftlet farming should be close to the feeding sources. Swiftlet is flying insectivorous animals. A financial feasibility assessment is carried out to determine the feasibility of the business. This study aims to determine the composition of land cover, determine the insect order of feed sources, and analyze the production and financial feasibility of swiftlet farming. The study was carried out from June to December 2019. The composition of land cover was determined using the supervised classification method, the order of insects was known using the insect determination key, while production and financial feasibility were analyzed using the Net B/C, NPV, IRR, and PP methods. The observed location and swiftlet farming were determined purposefully. The results of this study show that the land cover was dominated by shrubs (56.58%) and secondary forest (27.3%); both types of land cover are suitable for swiftlet farming locations. The dominant insects found in shrubs and wetland shrubs are Diptera (78.25%), in rice fields are Diptera (86.7%) and in oil palm plantations are Diptera (29.4%) and Hymenoptera (27.78%). Edible-nest swiftlets harvest begins in the third year, with a production period of between 17-34 years. From the financial feasibility, it can be concluded that swiftlet farming is feasible.

Effect of Hydrolyzed Bird’s Nest on β-Cell Function and Insulin Signaling in Type 2 Diabetic Mice

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2021

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by both resistance to the action of insulin and defects in insulin secretion. Bird’s nest, which is derived from the saliva of swiftlets are well known to possess multiple health benefits dating back to Imperial China. However, it’s effect on diabetes mellitus and influence on the actions of insulin action remains to be investigated. In the present study, the effect of standardized aqueous extract of hydrolyzed edible bird nest (HBN) on metabolic characteristics and insulin signaling pathway in pancreas, liver and skeletal muscle of db/db, a type 2 diabetic mice model was investigated. Male db/db diabetic and its euglycemic control, C57BL/6J mice were administered HBN (75 and 150 mg/kg) or glibenclamide (1 mg/kg) orally for 28 days. Metabolic parameters were evaluated by measuring fasting blood glucose, serum insulin and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Insulin signaling and activation of inflammatory pathways in liver, adipose, pancreas and muscle tissue were evaluated by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured in the serum at the end of the treatment. The results showed that db/db mice treated with HBN significantly reversed the elevated fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, serum pro-inflammatory cytokines levels and the impaired OGTT without affecting the body weight of the mice in all groups. Furthermore, HBN treatment significantly ameliorated pathological changes and increased the protein expression of insulin, and glucose transporters in the pancreatic islets (GLUT-2), liver and skeletal muscle (GLUT-4). Likewise, the Western blots analysis denotes improved insulin signaling and antioxidant enzyme, decreased reactive oxygen species producing enzymes and inflammatory molecules in the liver and adipose tissues of HBN treated diabetic mice. These results suggest that HBN improves β-cell function and insulin signaling by attenuation of oxidative stress mediated chronic inflammation in the type 2 diabetic mice.

Efficacy of Edible Bird’s Nest on Cognitive Functions in Experimental Animal Models: A Systematic Review

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2021

Edible bird’s nest (EBN) is constructed from saliva of swiftlets birds and consumed largely by Southeast and East Asians for its nutritional value and anti-aging properties. Although the neuroprotection of EBN in animals has been reported, there has not been yet systemically summarized. Thus, this review systemically outlined the evidence of the neuroprotective activity of EBN in modulating the cognitive functions of either healthy or with induced-cognitive dysfunction animals as compared to placebos. The related records from 2010 to 2020 were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and ScienceDirect using pre-specified keywords. The relevant records to the effect of EBN on cognition were selected according to the eligibility criteria and these studies underwent appraisal for the risk of bias. EBN improved the cognitive functions of induced-cognitive dysfunction and enhanced the cognitive performance of healthy animals as well as attenuated the neuroinflammations and neuro-oxidative stress in the hippocampus of these animals. Malaysian EBN could improve the cognitive functions of experimental animals as a treatment in induced cognitive dysfunction, a nutritional cognitive-enhancing agent in offspring and a prophylactic conservative effect on cognition against exposure to subsequent noxious cerebral accidents in a dose-depended manner through attenuating neuroinflammation and neuro-oxidative stress. This systemic review did not proceed meta-analysis.

Ultrasound-assisted enzymatic hydrolysis enhances anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic activities of edible Bird's nest

Article

Sep 2023

Revealing Edible Bird Nest as Novel Functional Foods in Combating Metabolic Syndrome: Comprehensive In Silico, In Vitro, and In Vivo Studies

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2023

Metabolic dysfunction, which includes intra-abdominal adiposity, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, manifests into metabolic syndrome and related diseases. Therefore, the discovery of new therapies in the fight against metabolic syndrome is very challenging. This study aims to reveal the existence of an edible bird nest (EBN) as a functional food candidate that may be a new alternative in fighting metabolic syndrome. The study included three approaches: in silico molecular docking simulation, in vitro, and in vivo in rats fed on cholesterol- and fat-enriched diets. Four terpenoids of Bakuchiol, Curculigosaponin A, Dehydrolindestrenolide, and 1-methyl-3-(1-methyl-ethyl)-benzene in EBN have been identified through LCMS/MS-QTOF. In molecular docking simulations, Bakuchiol and Dehydrolindestrenolide are considered very potent because they have higher inhibitory power on the four receptors (iNOS, ROS1 kinase, FTO, and lipase) than standard drugs. In vitro tests also provide insight into the antioxidant, antidiabetic, and antiobesity activities of EBN, which is quite feasible due to the smaller EC50 value of EBN compared to standard drugs. Interestingly, in vivo studies also showed significant improvements (p < 0.05) in the lipid profile, blood glucose, enzymatic levels, and inflammatory biomarkers in rats given high-dose dietary supplementation of EBN. More interestingly, high-dose dietary supplementation of EBN upregulates PGC-1α and downregulates HMG-CoA reductase. Comprehensively, it has been revealed that EBN can be novel functional foods for combating metabolic syndrome.

Edible Bird’s Nest (EBN): Production, Processing, Food and Medicinal Importance

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2023

Edible Birds Nest is the solidified saliva of the Swiftlets usually produced, consumed as food and medicine in south Asian countries. These EBNs are rich source of protein and considered for many health benefits in traditional scripts. However, Recent research is actively proving different benefits of EBNs on human health. Due to the higher demand in the market and lower availability EBNs reported for adulteration. Researchers are discovered modern techniques for determination of authenticity of EBNs. Finally, this article is composed the information on biological mechanism of edible nest formation, Location, distribution, and business, Harvesting and processing for food preparation, Nutritional composition, Medicinal benefits, and adulteration.

Export performance of Indonesian Swallow's Nest commodities in main destination countries

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2023

The trend of increasing exports of Indonesian swallow's nests and the high market potential shown by increased consumption requires Indonesia as one of the main producers of swallow's nests to be able to seize the existing market opportunities. This study aims to determine the export performance of Indonesian swiftlet nests in the main destination countries. The method used in this research is Constant Market Share. The secondary data used is time series data collected from 2011 to 2020. Based on Constant Market Share analysis, it was stated that the commodity of swallow's nest tended to be in demand in the international market compared to other types of commodities. Export quantity is sufficient to meet market demand and market requirements in export destination countries. The results show that Indonesia has been able to market the swallow's nest commodity in countries with high demand, namely China, which is indeed the largest importer of swallow's nest in the world. The swallow's nest commodity has great potential to increase exports and Indonesia is a strong competitor as an exporter in three countries, China, the United States and Vietnam. This research material has practical value for the Indonesian government to increase trade cooperation in the context of market expansion to maintain Indonesia's position as a major exporter and the need for cooperation with domestic producers through efforts to expand market access, training and production assistance, increasing innovation and technology

Fractionation of edible bird’s nest glycoprotein hydrolysates: characterisation and antioxidative activities of the fractions

Article

Jul 2022

Edible bird’s nest (EBN) hydrolysates have been proven to exhibit enhanced bioactivities. However, being a macromolecule, fractions with different molecular weights would have different properties and bioactivities. Hence, this research was aimed to determine the chemical properties and antioxidant activities of freeze-dried (EBNFD) and spray-dried EBN (EBNSD) hydrolysates fractionated using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Overall, two well-separated fractions were identified (EBNfFD1, EBNfFD2, EBNfSD1 and EBNfSD2). EBNFD demonstrated significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) peptide (3.6%), total carbohydrate (27.7%) and sialic acid (18.2%) contents than that of EBNSD. Similar trend was observed in low molecular weight fractionates (EBNfFD2 and EBNfSD2). Meanwhile, the first fractionates (EBNfFD1 and EBNfSD1) exhibited significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) hydroxyl radical (•OH) scavenging activity. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy demonstrated that all EBN fractionates have similar spectrum, except in the region of N—H (amide II) and C—H alkyl group. In conclusion, EBN fractionates with different molecular weights showed different chemical properties and antioxidant activities.

Effect of ultrasound-assisted pretreatment in combination with heating on characteristics and antioxidant activities of protein hydrolysate from edible bird’s nest co-product

Article

Apr 2022

Protein hydrolysates (P-HS) from edible bird's nest co-product prepared without and with ultrasound (US) pretreatment in combination with heating before hydrolysis using alcalase at different concentrations were characterized. US treatment of co-product in water at 60% amplitude for 20 min, followed by heating at 95 °C for 3 h was done before enzymatic hydrolysis. The degree of hydrolysis (DH), yield and sialic acid (SL) content of P-HS samples were not different (p > 0.05) when 1 or 2% alcalase was used for hydrolysis. The highest protein content and lightness (L * ) were observed in P-HS prepared from co-product subjected to US treatment (60% amplitude for 20 min) using 1% alcalase for hydrolysis. When antioxidant activities of dried P-HS were determined, P-HS from co-product subjected to US treatment had higher DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities, ferrous reducing antioxidant power and oxygen radical absorbance capacity, compared to those prepared from non-US treated co-product. P-HS with higher DH contained greater amount of small peptides having MW lower than 1,883 Da. The P-HS produced under optimum condition had major essential amino acids (EA-A) including leucine, threonine, lysine and valine of 4.28, 3.53, 3.30 and 3.08%, respectively. Therefore, P-HS from co-product could serve as both nutrients and functional ingredients. Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-022-05420-5.

Edible Bird’s Nest as Brain Food

Chapter

Jan 2022

Edible bird nest (EBN) is a natural food substance derived from edible velvet nest saliva consisting of glycoproteins as one of its key components; these glycoproteins contain an excess of sialic acid. Dietary EBN supplementation has been documented to promote brain development in mammals. The bioactivity and nutritional benefit of EBN are significant during periods of rapid brain development, especially in preterm infants. However, the impact of EBN on learning and memory control remains unknown. This chapter aims to illustrate the benefits of EBN and its potential effects as a neuroprotective supplement for adults.KeywordsEdible Bird Nest (EBN)Herbal MedicineBrainNeuroprotectionAntioxidantOxidative stress

House and cave edible bird’s nest: Characteristics and quality of sterilised beverages containing the selected bird’s nest

Article

Feb 2022

Edible bird’s nests (Bnest) collected from house and cave of eight provinces in the southern part of Thailand were characterised. Bnest from different locations had differences in Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and energy‐ dispersive X‐ray (EDX) spectroscopy patterns but there was no distinctive difference in protein patterns. Crystallinity values of cave‐Bnest from Phatthalung province (PL‐C) and house‐Bnest from Songkhla province (SK‐H) (38.79% and 35.52%, respectively) were higher than those of other samples. PL‐C and SK‐H samples had different thermal behaviours, as determined by the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Both samples were used for the production of Bnest beverage using the retort process (121 °C for 11 min). Colour, soluble solid content, drained weight, and sterility were determined in both beverages. Average L*‐value and soluble solid content of SK‐H were higher than those of PL‐C (P < 0.05). Higher a* and b*‐values and drained weight were found in the latter. However, aerobic/anaerobic mesophiles and thermophiles were not detected in both samples. The beverage containing PL‐C generally showed higher acceptability for all attributes, especially appearance, texture, and overall likeness (P < 0.05), than that with SK‐H. Therefore, the habitat, where bird’s nest was collected, had a marked influence on the characteristics of both dried nest and resulting sterilised bird’s nest beverages. House‐Bnest and cave‐Bnest collected from different locations in southern part of Thailand had different characteristics and qualities. The sterilized beverage containing the selected cave bird’s nest showed higher quality and acceptability than that with the selected house bird’s nest.

Sustainability challenges in edible bird’s nest: Full exploitation and health benefit

Chapter

Jan 2022

Edible bird’s nest (E-BN) or “Caviar of the East” is a premium and expensive cuisine well-known for the Chinese. It is saliva secreted from two specific swiftlets (Aerodramus maximus and Aerodramus fuciphagus). Two types of E-BN, namely house nests, and cave nests, are abundant in the South-East Asia region. The constituents, especially nitrate and nitrite, can be varied, depending on habitat, or feed available, etc. Protein (e.g., glycoprotein) is the major component of E-BN, followed by carbohydrates. Sialic acid is another essential constituent related to health promotion. E-BN is commonly utilized for the manufacturing of beverages or instant soup. E-BN in other forms such as capsules can serve as a supplement in the future due to its health promoting impact. In addition, the selected technology for quality improvement of E-BN especially from broken nests or flakes or other co-products is still required, while maintaining the eating quality to meet consumer’s demand. Thus, E-BN can be fully exploited and is still considered a valuable bird’s product with health benefits.

ULASAN SARANG BURUNG WALET SEBAGAI PANGAN FUNGSIONAL

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2021

Dede Wahyuni

Sarang burung walet (SBW) merupakan sarang yang berasal dari saliva beberapa spesies burung walet keluarga Apodidae, terutama spesies Aerodramus fuciphagus dan A. maximus. Indonesia merupakan negara penghasil SBW terbesar dengan menyumbang 85% dari pasar dunia. Sarang burung walet sejak lama telah digunakan dalam pengobatan tradisional Tiongkok. Komponen utama dari SBW adalah glikoprotein, yang diyakini terlibat dalam jalur biologis yang beragam untuk meningkatkan kesehatan. Berbagai metode penelitian telah dilakukan untuk mengkarakterisasi peptida dan glikoprotein SBW sebagai bahan bioaktif makanan fungsional. Ulasan ini bertujuan untuk memberikan informasi mengenai potensi SBW sebagai produk makanan fungsional berdasarkan kandungan bahan bioaktif dan sifat fisikokimia yang dimilikinya. Sarang burung walet digunakan sebagai bahan makanan, baik dengan menyajikan dalam bentuk utama atau menggabungkan dengan bahan lain yang meningkatkan nilai tambah produk pangan seperti minuman siap saji, yoghurt, roti daging, es krim, mie dan cokelat. Potensi komponen bioaktif SBW sebagai pangan fungsional meliputi klaim penurunan risiko penyakit dan klaim fungsi lain. Klaim penurunan risiko penyakit antara lain anti inflamasi, aktifitas antivirus, meningkatkan kesehatan jantung dan pembuluh darah, meningkatkan imunitas, efek neuroprotektif, dan mencegah penyakit diabetes. Klaim fungsi lain meliputi ploriferasi sel, aktifitas epidermal growth factor (EGF) dan anti penuaan, memperbaiki fungsi saluran pencernaan, peningkatan kekuatan tulang, meningkatkan fungsi saluran reproduksi, dan antioksidan.

Why the importance of geo-origin tracing of edible bird nests is arising?

Article

Nov 2021
FOOD RES INT

Aly El Sheikha

Edible bird's nest (EBN) swiftlet existed naturally 48,000 years ago in caves as their natural dwellings. Nowadays, edible bird's nest has become a very important industry due to its high nutritional, medicinal and economic value. Additionally, edible bird's nest has a long quality guarantee period. Obviously, the nutritional components and medicinal functions vary depending on geographical origins. Recently, the global demand for edible bird's nest has markedly increased, accompanied by the increasing attention of all key players of the global food trade system, i.e., producers, consumers, traders and the authorities to obtain safe and high-quality edible bird's nest. Hence, this target can be accomplished via the enforcement of an efficient and universal geo-tracing technique. Current methods of the geo-tracking of edible bird's nest, i.e., automation, physical and analytical techniques have several limitations and all of them fail to discriminate different quality grades of edible bird's nest. Meanwhile, in many studies and applications, polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) has proven to be a “cutting edge” technique for greatly enhance food traceability from field to fork through its ability in distinguishing the food products in terms of their quality and safety. This article provides an overview of (1) edible bird's nest as a multiuse strategic food product, (2) quality issues associated with edible bird’s nest including implications that the site of acquisition of the edible bird’s nest has food safety implications, (3) current regulations and geo-tracking approaches to ensure the safety and quality of edible bird’s nest with the special focus on polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis technique as a vigorous and universal geo-tracing tool to be suggested for edible bird's nest geo-traceability.

Edible Bird’s Nest: The Functional Values of the Prized Animal-Based Bioproduct From Southeast Asia–A Review

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2021

Edible Bird’s Nest (EBN) is the most prized health delicacy among the Chinese population in the world. Although some scientific characterization and its bioactivities have been studied and researched, no lights have been shed on its actual composition or mechanism. The aim of this review paper is to address the advances of EBN as a therapeutic animal bioproduct, challenges and future perspectives of research involving EBN. The methodology of this review primarily involved a thorough search from the literature undertaken on Web of Science (WoS) using the keyword “edible bird nest”. Other information were obtained from the field/market in Malaysia, one of the largest EBN-producing countries. This article collects and describes the publications related to EBN and its therapeutic with diverse functional values. EBN extracts display anti-aging effects, inhibition of influenza virus infection, alternative traditional medicine in athletes and cancer patients, corneal wound healing effects, stimulation of proliferation of human adipose-derived stem cells, potentiate of mitogenic response, epidermal growth factor-like activities, enhancement of bone strength and dermal thickness, eye care, neuroprotective and antioxidant effects. In-depth literature study based on scientific findings were carried out on EBN and its properties. More importantly, the future direction of EBN in research and development as health-promoting ingredients in food and the potential treatment of certain diseases have been outlined.

Edible Bird’s Nest Supplementation Improves Male Reproductive Parameters of Sprague Dawley Rat

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2021

Edible bird’s nest (EBN) is reported to have a positive in vitro proliferative effect and contain male reproductive hormones. Spermatogonia cells proliferate during spermatogenesis under male reproductive hormones stimulation that include testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH). Characterization of EBN through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS) has found testosterone as a base peak. Six types of amino acids, estradiol and sialic acid were among the major peaks that have been characterized. Based on the presence of these reproductive components, this study evaluated different doses of EBN on sperm parameters and male reproductive hormones of Sprague Dawley rats. Sixteen Sprague Dawley rats at the age of eight weeks were randomly and equally divided into four groups, which are Control, 10 mg/kg BW/d 50 mg/kg BW/d, and 250 mg/kg BW/d EBN group. The rats were fed with EBN enriched pellet daily and water ad-libitum. Rats were sacrificed and the organ was weighed for organ coefficients after eight weeks of treatment. Sperm concentration, percentage of sperm motility, and sperm viability were evaluated. Meanwhile, ELISA method was used to measure testosterone, FSH, and LH. Findings showed that there were no significant differences in organ coefficient between groups. Supplementation of 250 mg/kg BW/d EBN demonstrated a significant increase in sperm concentration, percentage of sperm motility as well as FSH and LH level compared to 10 mg/kg BW/d group. There was a dose-dependent increase in testosterone level but was not significant between groups. Based on these findings, EBN is concluded to have crucial effects on male reproductive parameters.

International trade in Swiftlet nests with special reference to Hong Kong

Book

Full-text available

Jan 1994

A marked decline in some swiftlet populations has been attributed to the harvesting of their nests which are prized in Chinese cuisine and traditional medicines. Documentation is provided on the history and volume of the trade.

The evolution of echolocation in swiftlets

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2004
J AVIAN BIOL

The abilities of some cave-nesting swiftlets to echolocate has traditionally been used to separate the genus Aerodramus, which includes echolocating species, from the genus Collocalia, thought to lack echolocation. Here we report the discovery of echolocation in a member of the latter genus, the pygmy swiftlet Collocalia troglodytes. We also present a well-supported molecular phylogeny for the swiftlets and their relatives based on DNA sequence data from two mitochondrial genes, which we use to reconstruct the evolution of echolocation. Our data provide strong evidence that the swiftlets are a monophyletic group. This monophyly plus the presence of echolocation in C. troglodytes indicate that either (1) echolocation evolved much earlier in the swiftlets than previously thought and has since been lost in most Collocalia taxa, or (2) this ability evolved independently in Aerodramus and Collocalia. Based on our results, echolocation can no longer be considered a useful character for distinguishing these two genera.

Problems in the harvest of edible birds' nests in Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2004

Joseph J. Hobbs

Due to the value of their nests, there is great pressure on the populations of black-nest swiftlets (Collocalia maximus) and white-nest swiftlets (Collocalia fuciphagus) in the Malaysian provinces of Sarawak and Sabah. The problems are particularly acute at Gunung Mulu National Park, in spite of a complete ban on collection there, and at Niah National Park, where every participant in a complex collection and trading system has an incentive to take more nests than permitted. More successful harvest systems function in Sabah''s Gomantong and Madai Caves. Recommendations for improved management of the nest harvest include addressing corruption, ensuring that local people with traditional rights to collect nests do not lose income to illegal immigrant labor and to traders, improving research and education about the swiftlets'' behavior and ecology, and moving value-added processing of the nests closer to the caves where they originate and to the people who collect them.

Improvement of Bone Strength and Dermal Thickness Due to Dietary Edible Bird’s Nest Extract in Ovariectomized Rats

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2011
BIOSCI BIOTECH BIOCH

Oral administration of edible bird's nest extract (EBNE) improved bone strength and calcium concentration in the femur of ovariectomized rats. Dermal thickness was also increased by EBNE supplementation, whereas EBNE administration did not affect the serum estradiol concentration. These results suggest that EBNE is effective for the improvement of bone loss and skin aging in postmenopause all women.

Structure of the monosialyl oligosaccharides derived from salivary gland mucin glycoproteins of the Chinese swiftlet (genus Collocalia)

Article

Jan 1987

Establishing the authenticity of edible bird's nest

Article

Jan 1991

A rapid method for classification of six kinds Collocalia esculenta L. by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Article

May 2001
CHINESE J ANAL CHEM

Collocalia esculenta L. is called Yanwo in China. A rapid and non-destnictive method, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), for the classification of six yanwo, which are come from Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Hong Kong. They have their own characteristic infrared spectra. The six yanwo can be classified by the relative intensity of those absorption peaks. It is a very fast, simple, reliable method.

Determination of aldoses in edible bird's nest by gas chromatography

Article

Jul 2006

OBJECTIVE: To determine the contents of four aldoses in edible bird's nest(EBN). METHODS: Firstly, the sample was hydrolyzed by 2 mol·L -1 HCl-methanol and neutralized by 2 mol·L-1 potassium hydroxide, then derivated by acetic anhydride in pyridine. Four aldoses were seperated completely using HP-5 capillary column and programablly increased temperature. RESULTS: The linear range of D-Mannose, D-Galactose, N-Acetyl-D-Galactosamine and N-Acetyl-D-Glucosamine were 0.032 2-0.161, 0.316-1.58, 0.104-0.520 and 0.212-1.06 mg·L-1, respectively. The average recovery was 95.7%, 96.1%, 95.1% and 97.0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: A validated GC method is established to determine four aldoses. The method is specific and sensitive.

Determination methods of edible bird's nest and its products

Article

Jan 1996

Research on the identification of edible bird's nest and its products

Article

Jan 1995

Study on the main ingredients of the three species of edible swift's nest of Yunnan Province

Article

Jan 1995
Zool Res

Review of EBN authentication method

Article

Jan 2007

Analysis of amino acids in edible bird's nest and its products

Article

Jan 1996

Taxonomic and evolutionary notes on the subfamilies, tribes, genera and subgenera of the Swifts (Aves: Apodidae)

Article

R.K. Brooke

Report on the birds' nest industry in the Baram District and at Niah, Sarawak

Article

Jan 1984

E.O. Cranbrook

The five species of swiftlet known in Sarawak are the Giant Swiftlet, the White-bellied Swiftlet, the Mossy-nest Swiftlet, the Black-nest Swiftlet and the White- or Edible-nest Swiftlet. The distinguishing characters of each are described; only the last two species provide nests of commercial interest. There is a long history of exploitation of the nests of Black-nest and White-(Edible)-nest Swiftlets in Sarawak, with the first government regulations dating to the time of the second Rajah. Currently in force is the Miscellaneous Licenses Ordinance S 49 of 1963. An export duty of 10% is payable; but recent records from Customs do not show that any significant sums of duty are collected at Marudi or Miri, and evasion is suspected. Nevertheless, to the persons involved in the initial harvesting these nests represent a very considerable resource in relation to their rural-based economies. At present, in all nest-producing localities in Sarawak, harvested yields of nests have fallen far below previous levels, and the loss of potential income causes concern. The factors concerned are discussed. It is suggested that a major effort should be made to inform all persons with interests in the nest-rights of the relevant biological data. Stress is given to the importance of documentary evidence for useful monitoring of trends; modifications are suggested to the annual licence form. -from Author

Generic limits in old world Apodidae and Hirundinidae

Article

Jan 1972

R.K. Brooke

Characterization of edible bird's nest by gas chromatograpy

Article

Jan 1998

Methods to identify true edible bird's nest

Article

Jan 2007

Determination of sialic acid in edible bird's nest

Article

Jan 2006

Isolation and identification of glycopeptide in edible bird's nest

Article

Jan 1985

Revision of the Melanesian swiftlets (Apodes, Aves) and their conspecific forms in the Indo-Australian and Polynesian region

Article

Jan 1983

F. Salomonsen

Potentiation of mitogenic response by extracts of the swiftlet's (Apus) nest collected from Huai-ji

Article

Jan 1989
Acta Zoolog Sin

Identification of edible bird's nest with electrophoresis

Article

Jan 2006

Extraction and Determination of Hormones in the Edible Bird's Nest

Article

Jan 2012

Six kinds of hormones in two types of edible bird's nests, the white nest built by Aerodramus fuciphagus and the black nest built by A. maximus, were detected for the first time. These six kinds of hormones are testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and prolactin. The ultrasonically assisted extraction methods, the optimal solvent used and the optimal ratio of of solvent to sample (v/w) were determined. The contents of each of these six kind of hormones were significantly different in the white and black nests as determined by full-automated microparticle chemiluminescent immunoassay. The determination of these hormones in the edible bird's nests may explain part of the effects of the edible bird's nest and may serve as an useful analytical technique for differentiating between white and black nest or the grades of the edible bird's nest products and it may be a useful method to determine adulteration.

Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spin-lattice relaxation in the N-acylneuraminic acids. Probes for internal dynamics and conformational analysis

Article

Jan 1977
J AM CHEM SOC

13C NMR studies of several N-acylneuraminic acid derivatives have been made. Spin-lattice relaxation times (NT1DD = ca. 0.3 s) indicate that the pyranose ring carbons undergo isotropic rotation and that C-7 and C-8, but not C-9, are isotropic with the ring. A model involving an intramolecular hydrogen bond network is supported by the relaxation data. It is shown that calculated values of T1DD for nonprotonated carbons agree closely with experiment. The isolation of N-acetylneuraminic acid from Oriental birds' nest substance is shown to be a convenient source of this compound.

Saccharides and amino acids of the mucoid in an edible bird's nest.

Article

Jan 1983

Motomu Oda

Chemical composition of the Enso mucoid of Shokuyo-Anatsubame(Collocalia fuciphaga)were investigated, in particular saccharides and amino acids. (1) It contained moisture 14.3, saccharides 27.5, N9.3, ash 4.8, Ca 0.693, P 0.004 and S 0.70%. (2) A fraction(F-Ia)1.9g was obtained from 10g of the material by extraction with boiling-water and fractionation with gel filtration. Its molecular weight was estimated to be 10000O-500000. The ratio of the content of saccharides (reducing saccharides)and that of proteins was 1:2.4 in F-Ia. (3) PPC revealed that the saccharide components of the fraction(F)consisted of galactose, mannose and fucose; the composition of which analyzed by GLC was 84.7, 10.5 and 4.8%, respectively. (4)Amino acid analysis showed that the fraction(F-Ia)conntained aspartic acid 11.7, serine 10.7, valine 10.2 and threonine 10.1%.

Improved method for the synthesis of Â¹â´C-labelled or Â³H- labelled N-acetylneuraminic acid

Article

Genetic identification of edible birds’ nest based on mitochondrial DNA sequences

Article

Oct 2009
FOOD RES INT

Edible bird’s nest (EBN) is a functional food constructed with swiftlets’ salivary glue. Counterfeit EBN products have been found in the market due to limited supply and high price of genuine EBN. In this article, a method for genetic identification of EBN was developed. The technique is based on sequence of cytochrome b gene in mitochondrial DNA. The sample sequences together with the sequences of swiftlets in GenBank were used to construct phylogenetic trees for genetic identification of samples. This method was applied to 11 EBN samples, one instant EBN soup product from Indonesia, and Huaiji EBN, a counterfeit EBN in some regions of China. Results showed that all the EBN samples and the instant EBN soup were from Aerodramus fuciphagus while the Huaiji EBN sample was from Apus nipalensis. This was consistent with identification based on morphology of the samples. Therefore, this method is a promising tool to identify the species of bird producing a given sample of EBN, and thus could be used to authenticate—that is, distinguish authentic from counterfeit—EBN.

Purification et étude chimique d'une glycoprotéine de Collocalia

Article

Jul 1975

Une glycoprotéine a été purifiée par électrophorèse préparative en film liquide de l'extrait aqueux de « nids d'hirondelles(Collocalia). Cette glycoprotéine qui représente la fraction majeure des glycoprotéides de Collocalia, est homogène en électrophorèse en agarose mais légèrement polydispersée en ultracentrifugation (So20 w = 3,0). La partie glycannique de cette glycoprotéine se caractérise par sa richesse en galactose, glucosamine et galactosamine. Elle possède, d'autre part, des résidus d'acide sialique complètement libérés par les neuraminidases de Diplococcus pneumoniae et de Clostridium perfringens et qui, en chromatographie, se comportent essentiellement comme l'acide N-acétylneuraminique. La partie polypeptidique de cette glycoprotéine comprend principalement des résidus de sérine, thréonine et proline. Environ 40 p. cent des résidus d'acides aminés hydroxylés sont impliqués dans des liaisons glycanneprotéine alcali-labiles.

An improved method for the synthesis of 14C-labelled or 3H-labelled N-acetylneuraminic acid

Article

Feb 1974
BBA-GEN SUBJECTS

1.1. Neuraminic acid-β-methylglycoside was prepared from the products obtained by methanolysis of edible bird nest substance (yield, 80%). The methylglycoside was converted to the corresponding methylester hydrochloride by methanolHCl treatment and crystallized from dioxan-light petroleum (yield, 50%). Its properties including mass spectrometry are described.2.2. A simple procedure for snythesis of N-[1-14C] acetylneuraminic acid and acetylneuraminic acid (yields, 75–85%) with high specific radioactivities from the methylester from neuraminic acid-β-methylglycoside and 1-14C- or 3H-labelled acetic anhydride in absolute methanol is described. By this acetylation in water-free solution up to 85% of the theoretically expected amount of radioactivity was found in the N-acetyl groups of neuraminic acid.

Aminozucker-Synthesen, XXV. Synthese der Lactaminsäure

Article

Nov 1962
EUR J ORG CHEM

N-Acetyl-mannosamin, N-Acetyl-glucosamin und 4.6-Benzyliden-N-acetylglucosamin kondensieren mit dem Kaliumsalz des Oxalessigsäure-di-tert.-butylesters zu Lactonen, die durch Erhitzen mit Wasser in Lactaminsäure-γ-lacton übergehen. Aus 22.1 g N-Acetyl-glucosamin sind über die Benzyliden-Verbindung 6.0 g reine Lactaminsäure (N-Acetyl-neuraminsäure) erhältlich. – Auf die Bildung epimerer Verbindungen wird an Hand chromatographischer Beobachtungen eingegangen.

Nest construction and egg-laying in Edible-nest Swiftlets Aerodramus spp. and the implications for harvesting

Article

Apr 1991
IBIS

The influence of nest harvesting upon nest construction and egg-laying was studied in the White-nest Swiftlet Aerodramus fuciphagus and the Black-nest Swiftlet A. maximus in Singapore. A study of nestling energetics allowed an estimate to be made of adult foraging abilities. The energy and nutrients required for nest construction are easily acquired by foraging but the females may face a shortage of energy or depletion of stored lipids during egg formation. Removal of nests did not affect the size or quality of replacement nests or clutches, but may aggravate the lipid shortage. Nest removal did reduce breeding success in replacement nests and, in the White-nest Swiftlet, disturbance to the colony resulted in an increased laying interval between first and second eggs. Our results indicated that commercially exploited colonies should be left unharvested for the middle part of the breeding season to allow a period of successful reproduction.

The composition of Chinese edible birds' nests and the nature of their proteins

Article

Dec 1921

Chi Che Wang

The isolation and the nature of the amino sugar of Chinese edible birds' nests

Article

Dec 1921

Chi Che Wang

Study on Food Components: The Structure of N-Linked Asialo Carbohydrate from the Edible Bird's Nest Built by Collocalia fuciphaga

Article

Jul 1998

The N-linked asialo carbohydrate, released by digestion treatment of the glycoprotein of the edible bird's nest of Collocalia fuciphaga, was identified as l-asparagine-linked fucose-containing triantennary oligosaccharide, composed of Galβ1→4GlcNAcβ1→4(Galβ1→4GlcNAcβ1→2)Manα1→3(Galβ1→4GlcNAcβ1→2Manα1→6)Manβ1→4GlcNAcβ1→4(Fucα1→6)GlcNAcβ1, on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic methods, in addition to GLC and HPLC analyses on achiral columns. Keywords: Collocalia fuciphaga; edible bird's nest; nest-cementing substance; pronase digestion; desialylation; N-linked fucose-containing triantennary oligosaccharide

Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spin-lattice relaxation in the N-acylneuraminic acids. Probes for internal dynamics and conformational analysis

Article

Dec 1977

The identification of Malaysian species of swiftlets Collocalia

Article

Apr 2008
IBIS

R. W. Sims

Field characters as a guide to the specific relations of swiftlets

Article

Jun 2008
BIOL J LINN SOC

Lord Medway

Reproductive cycle, moult and changes in the sublingual salivary glands of the swiftlet Collocalia maxima Hume

Article

Aug 2009
J ZOOL

Lord Medway

Six collections of adult Collocalio maxima Hume, including both sexes, were taken at the nest sites in Niah cave, Sarawak (113° 46' E. 60' N). Changes in the gonads and accessory reproductive organs of these specimens indicate a prolonged breeding season of eight months, September to April annually, after which the gonads regress to nonbreeding condition. The moult is also a seasonal event, but the progress of moulting in individual birds is not directly related to breeding condition. The sublingual glands of a fledgling and of certain adults were minute and nonsecretory. It is concluded that the secretion of these glands has no digestive function, but is related solely to periodic nest building. No correlation is found between the reproductive state of individual birds and activity in the sublingual glands. Some females in breeding condition had totally inactive sublingual glands, whereas all males in breeding condition had active sublingual glands. It is suggested that these glands may be responsive to teaticular hormone. The most important external environmental factor controlling the activity of the sublingual glands appears to be the presence or absence of the nest itself.

Application of SYBRgreen PCR and 2DGE methods to authenticate edible bird's nest food

Article

Oct 2010
FOOD RES INT

Edible bird's nest (EBN) as a special kind of food tonic has been highly esteemed in Chinese cuisine and medicinal culture. Particularly with the discovery of its healthy function by modern science, consumption of EBN food gained greater popularity within Chinese community and outside. Authentication of this precious and expensive food material became an urgent task facing the increasing occurrence of adulteration in the market. Herein we reported the combination of DNA based PCR and protein based two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DGE) methods for rapid and reliable identification of genuine EBN product. Fourteen EBN samples from different countries were studied. PCR method was proved to be able to differentiate EBN and the other biological materials and it could detect EBN ingredient from 0.5% EBN/Tremella fungus mixture. 2DGE method was proved to be feasible and versatile in EBN identification because of the simple and unique protein pattern of EBN. The method could detect 10% Tremella fungus from EBN.

Characterization of the edible bird’s nest the “Caviar of the East”

Article

Dec 2005
FOOD RES INT

Massimo F. Marcone

A few species of swiflets (genus Aerodramus) build edible nests that are consumed by humans worldwide, as a delicacy known as the “Caviar of the East” or as a medicinal food. This study reports on the compositional properties of two types of nest, the white nest and the red “blood” nest. The order of composition (from lowest to highest) was found to be identical for both types of nests, i.e., lipid (0.14–1.28%), ash (2.1%), carbohydrate (25.62–27.26%) and protein (62–63%). It was also found that both nests share a common 77 KDa protein that has properties similar to those of the ovotransferrin protein in eggs. This protein may be partially responsible for the severe allergic reactions that sometimes occur among young children who consume edible bird’s nest products. It was found that SDS–PAGE electrophoretic fingerprinting might serve as a useful analytical technique for differentiating between white and red nests and for determining if the more expensive “blood” nest was adulterated with the less expensive white nest. Also evaluated were different analytical methodologies for detecting adulterants. Three of the most common adulterants found in retail bird’s nests are karaya gum, red seaweed, and tremella fungus, and they are routinely incorporated during commercial processing prior to final sale. Using crude protein determination, it was found that these adulterants (which typically accounted for 2–10% of the finished nest), reduce the overall crude protein content of the genuine white bird’s nest by as much as 1.1–6.2%. A modified xanthoproteic nitric acid test for proteins proved to be a rapid, and simple test to detect adulteration in both whole and finely ground nests, and would be suitable in the field where analytical facilities are not readily available.

Collocalia mucoid: A substrate for myxovirus neuraminidase

Article

Dec 1961

A potent inhibitor of myxovirus hemagglutination has been derived by aqueous extraction from the nest-cementing substance (salivary secretions) of the Oriental swiftlet (genus Collocalia). The active material contains about 50% carbohydrate, is susceptible to the neuraminidase of influenza virus of all strains thus far tested, and lacks detectable blood group antigens.Observations on the relation between viral hemagglutinin, neuraminidase activity, and the conversion of myxoviruses to “indicators” are presented and discussed. Evidence is presented to indicate that the enzymic and hemagglutinative properties of myxovirus may be separate and dissociable functions.

The status and conservation of the Edible-nest Swiftlet (Co

Sketch of the edible bird's nest and its important bioactivities

Abstract

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