How to distinguish the authenticity of bird's nest soaked in water

Because bird's nests are relatively expensive, some unscrupulous vendors always want to pass off inferior products as good ones, so consumers, when buying bird's nests, do not just look at the outer packaging, but be discerning and look at the shape and color of the bird's nests, the thickness of the bird's nests, and also smell the smell of the bird's nests, etc., to avoid buying fake bird's nests, which will not have any health benefits and may cause harm to the body.

1. Look at the shape:

Look at the shape of the bird's nest: high-quality bird's nests are characterized by a natural shape, coarse and dense bird's nest fibers, and a large and thick shape. The neatly shaped and beautiful bird's nests are made by artificial combination and pasting (for example, using egg white, gelatin, starch, etc. as adhesives).

Look at the lines of the bird's nest: the structure of the bird's nest should be a silk-like structure, with naturally uneven lines, while the lines of the artificially processed bird's nest are dense and neatly arranged. The one that is made up of pieces is not real bird's nest.

2. Look at the color:

Pure bird's nest, whether dry or soaked, is not completely transparent when viewed under light, but appears translucent. The color of real bird's nest is naturally ivory white, light beige and light yellowish brown, and the color distribution is uneven and the surface is relatively rough. Fake bird's nest is artificially bleached, the color is uniform and beautiful, and the surface is neat and smooth. The color of the same bird's nest varies, with different shades of light and dark, and the color of each bird's nest is also different, while the color of fake bird's nests tends to be the same after bleaching. House swallows have better light transmittance, while fakes made of gutta-percha or pigskin have low light transmittance, and those made of pigskin are even completely opaque, but they will float on water. The color of cave nests is dark yellow and naturally darker, with different colors at the edges, and the color gradually darkens from one side to the other.

If it is a bleached bird's nest, the color is snow-white and uniform. Normal bird's nest is not so white, but beige or ivory, and the color is uneven if you look closely. There is also another simple method, which is to see if there are black spots. Normal bird's nests will have black spots even if they are picked very cleanly, but there will be no black spots at all on bleached bird's nests. For blood bird's nests, you can also use the presence of black spots to determine whether it has been dyed. Moreover, dyed bird's nests will fade significantly after soaking in water, and the water will turn red.

3. Look at the thickness:

Normal bird's nests are thin and natural, with uneven cracks. Bird's nests coated with glue are often thicker and without cracks, with flat and smooth corners on both sides. Fake bird's nests made from Indonesian cassava flour are heavier and whiter, with denser bird's nest fibers and an unnaturally neat shape.

4. Smell:

Real dried bird's nest does not have a strong smell, but instead has an "ammonia" smell. If there is a special smell, such as fishy or greasy smell, it is a fake. Only after being fully soaked, the stewed bird's nest will have the aroma of protein. Please note that it can only be the aroma of protein, not the fruit, coconut, etc. flavors mentioned on the Internet. Therefore, a simple and effective way to identify bird's nest is: smell it. It has an ammonia smell (also called fishy smell and chemical smell) before soaking, and an egg white fishy smell after stewing. The taste will be light or strong, but it must be there, otherwise it won’t be fake. (It should be noted that bird's nests bleached with hydrogen peroxide have a very pungent smell, which is the smell of disinfectant in hospitals, and is completely different from the "ammonia smell". Bird's nests made with Malay glue have a sour smell.)

5. Hand feeling:

The bird's nest should feel dry to the touch. Wetter bird's nests contain more water and feel sticky to the touch. Bird's nests are softer to the touch and will become moldy if not stored properly.

6. Water soaking:

Take a small piece of bird's nest and soak it in water. If the bird's nest expands several times, it is a real bird's nest. However, if it does not expand several times and gradually dissolve, and is sticky, and has no elasticity when pressed or pulled, it is a fake bird's nest. After soaking it until it becomes soft, take the silk strips and pull them. If they have poor elasticity and break easily when pulled, they are fake. If they have no elasticity and can be rubbed into a paste with your fingers, they are fake. The water that comes out of the soaking is clear and not turbid is the real bird's nest.