What's New : Changing The Products

Dear blog visitors,

Effective on September 2010, we are selling unprocessed bird nest.

We decide to sell the unprocessed bird nest because through our experiences selling the unprocessed bird nest, we notice that there are many customers that request the processed bird nest with different process technique and sometimes we cannot fulfill the customer's request and we are sorry that our processed bird nest cannot meet with customer's needs.

Thus, now we are focusing on unprocessed bird nest.

For the customers who needs our processed bird nest, we are still selling the mash processed bird nest because this products is for medical purposes.

For the super quality and 2nd grade processed, we only serve the pre-order and with very limited quantity.

STANDARD ITUNG-ITUNGAN WALET

Harga sarang burung sangat tergantung oleh naik turunnya nilai rupiah terhadap dollar, sedangkan untuk pasaran dunia harga sarang yang langsung dari dari gua berharga berkisar antara US $ 1.000-1.500 / kg dan sarang dari rumah walet berkisar antara US $ 1.800-2.000/kg sedangkan apabila sudah melalui proses pembersihan akan menjadi US $ 2.000-2.500 / kg. “ A kilogram of white nest can cost up to $2,000, and a kilogram of “red blood” nest can cost up to $10,000 Canadian”. (Koon dan Cranbrook, 2002).

Negara China (Hong Kong) mengkonsumsi sarang walet 100 ton per tahun yang mendekati 60% suplai dunia. Komunitas Tionghoa di Amerika Utara mengkonsumsi 30 ton pertahun sedangkan cina daratan hanya 10 ton pertahun. Harga satu mangkok sup sarang burung dihargai US$ 60 (Quentien, 2004)

Harga sarang walet sangat bervariasi tergantung dari kesepakatan antara penjual dan pembeli. Kriteria umum yang mempengaruhi harga sarang adalah : asal sarang (gua atau rumah), ukuran sarang, warna sarang, sempurna tidaknya bentuk sarang, kandungan air, kandungan bulu yang menempel. Harga sarang sangat ditentukan oleh kualitas sarang, baik warna, bentuk, ukuran, bulu dan kadar air. Dan memperhitungkan faktor hubungan keterdekatan dan kepercayaan antara penjual dan pembeli. Karena harga sarang walet sangat tergantung pada kualitas, sedangkan belum adanya standar yang baku mengenai kualitas sarang maka harga sarang ditentukan oleh kesepakatan antara pembeli dan penjual sarang saat terjadi transaksi. Dalam satu kali pemanenan tidak ada sarang yang sama, yang disebabkan perbedaan umur burung walet, kebersihan tempat bersarang, kondisi ruangan, gangguan hama, cara memanen dan musim, sehingga penentuan harga berbeda-beda antara pembeli satu dengan pembeli lainnya (Kuntjoro, 2002)

Selain ditentukan oleh kualitas sarang, harga sarang walet tergantung dari kondisi mata uang rupiah terhadap dollar. Dari hasil wawancara harga sarang super dengan kriteria warna putih keperakan (kristal), bentuk mangkuk, dengan ukuran tiga jari (lebar bibir sampai dasar sarang 4,5-5 Cm), serta kandungan bulu bulu ringan (ada 1-5 helai bulu), dan kadar air kering (kandungan air 0-10%) dapat berharga $ 1.800-2.000/Kg.

Semakin rendah nilai rupiah terhadap dollar maka harga sarang akan meningkat, seperti terjadi pada tahun 1998 saat US $1 = Rp. 17.500,- harga sarang melambung sangat tinggi. Setelah melalui proses pencucian, harga sarang walet dapat mencapai US$ 2.500-3.000/Kg. Tetapi para pengusaha pencucian tidak bersedia membeli sarang yang sudah dicuci, mereka lebih mengutamakan pembelian dalam bentuk yang masih belum diproses. Dengan alasan pasaran luar negeri sudah menentukan ciri-ciri yang sudah disepakati antara pengusaha pencucian dengan pasar luar negeri.

CHOOSING THE GOOD SWALLOW NEST

• Shape and volume: the best bird's nests is in the shape of a boat or spoon. Bird's nest can be triangular in shape if they have been built in the corner of two adjacent walls. However for nutritional value the shape does not matter. Bird's nests that are broader in width rank higher. The real bird's nest should be in a natural shape.
• Color and Purity: The best bird's nest should be of natural colour, containing no mud and other impurities like moss. The colour of the white nest is an actual ivory. The yellow nest and the bloodyred nest are coloured straw and red, respectively. The variations and intensity in the colour are due to the difference in the mineral constituents of the food the swallow ate. The bird's nests, regardless of their colour, swell when soaked in clear water. The colouration in the bird's nest will fade and the nest threads look transparent after swelling. However, the water used for soaking should still remain transparent and colourless.
• Density and Swelling Capacity: Bird's nests that have finer and denser nest threads appear almost gapless. They are bigger and thicker in volume and should have a higher swelling capacity. The swelling capacity refers to the water holding ability of a bird's nest. The higher the swelling capacity, the greater the bird's nest distends after immersion in water. Bird's nests of different categories show different magnitudes of swelling capacity, i. e. the ratio between the weight of the bird's nest before and after swelling can be different. The swelling capacity should be measured by weight instead of by volume.
• Flavor and Dryness: Bird's nest should be selected by smell. A real bird's nest retains a little bit of a fishy smell of the swallow's saliva. When cooked, it releases a light aroma resembling the aroma of an egg white. It is essential to select a dry bird's nest. A bird's nest that is sticky and soft is certainly not dry enough. A wet bird's nest weighs heavier thus the price will be overcharged from the extra weight. A wet bird's nest would not be convenient for storage as it would attract mould easily and has a low swelling capacity.
• Price and Creditability: Bird's nests should be purchased in person and selected by "looking", "smelling" and "touching". The price of the bird's nest should be weighed against the flavor, size, thickness of the nest, fineness of the threads, dryness, and a good swelling capacity. It is not possible to buy a good quality bird's nest at fair price if the goods have not been examined and the quality and category evaluated. The most trustful way to purchase a high quality bird's nest is to buy from shops having a good reputation and guaranteed quality.
  

MODERN RESEARCH ABOUT SWALLOW NEST

Every 100 g of dry swallow nest contains 49.9 g of water-soluble protein (including amido nitrogen, monoamine nitrogen, non-amino nitrogen, arginine nitrogen, humin, histidine nitrogen, lysine nitrogen and cysteine nitrogen), 30.6 g carbohydrate (glycoprotein and mucin), 4.9 g iron, 2.5 g inorganic salt (including potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, phosphorus, silica and other trace elements), 1.4 g fiber and 10.7 g others (see "The History of Chinese Medicine and the Nutrition Table," Chinese-English Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China: Guangdong Science & Technology Publishing House, 1988).
The energy value per 100 g swallow nest is 345 kilocalories. In the article "Yan Wo Kao" (The Investigation on Swallow Nest) in Mingpao Monthly Vol. 231 (May 1985), Prof. Y. C. Kong and Prof. P. S. Kwan of the Chinese University of Hong Kong reported their research on the tonic food. Based on repeatable results of in vitro exposure experiments the researchers discovered that swallow nest contains a "cell division inducing hormone" and an "epidermal growth factor" that can stimulate the growth and division of cells, thereby enhancing tissue growth, cellular regeneration, and cell-mediated immunity in humans.

Their investigations have provided scientific evidence that supports the traditional beliefs that swallow nest can facilitate metabolism, nourish the skin tone, replenish strength and vital energy, accelerate the recovery from diseases and reinforce immunity. The specific animal proteins in an edible swallow nest have the following three functions;
1. To stimulate the regeneration of cells.
2. To enhance cell-mediated immunity.
3. To enhance the resistance of an individual to X-irradiated damage.

This active protein is easily absorbable by humans, making it unique among foods. The report also states that the "cell division inducing hormone" in swallow nest is activated at around 80 ¢J, while overheating it would destroy the nutritients. This is why double-steaming is recommended in the Cooking Procedure. But Dr. Gu Hsiao Pei takes a somewhat different view from Prof. Y. C. Kong on the potential benefits of epidermal growth factor ( EGF) of swallow nest.
In his column entitled "Are you suitable to have swallow nest?" (Hong Kong Economic Journal March 7, 2006), Dr Gu allows that as swallow nest comes from the saliva of swiftlets (Aerodramus fuciphagus), so it is possible that saliva of other animals also contain EGF.
Since EGF serves to stimulate cell proliferation, this may explain why animals tend to lick their wounds with saliva, probably an instinctive use of saliva in healing wounds. However, argues Dr Gu, it is one thing for EGF to help heal wounds, it is quite another for EGF to help proliferate cancer cells in cancer patients.

As breast cancer patients are advised to abstain from having clam pastes because the estrogen in the food could cause cancer cell proliferation, cancer patients should also be so advised about having swallow nests. In addition to stimulating the proliferation of cancer cells, EGF could also promote three factors that allow the proliferation of blood vessels. These three factors are vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), beta fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and transforming growth factor alpha (TGF£\). Cancer cells depend on blood vessels to transmit nutrients to them for growth.
For this reason, cancer patients must suppress blood vessel proliferation. One way doing so is to abstain from having swallow nests. Also, the cause of macular degeneration, another common illness for elders, is the proliferation of new blood vessels on retina. For these patients, writes Dr Gu, they should also abstain from having swallow nests, or else their body would manufacture some unnecessary new blood vessels.

OUR PRODUCTS

Dear readers,

Let me introduce our products from our own birdnest house. We sell types of birdnest, they are:

1. SUPER QUALTIY FOR NATURAL BIRDNEST : This birdnest is the whitest birdnest and guarantee this products has no added chemicals agent.



2. REGULAR PROCESSED BIRDNEST : This type of birdnest is a bit yellowish than the super quality but this is natural. The yellowish colour happen naturally and not because of the chemicals liquid.


3. CORNER SWALLOW NEST : In Indonesia we call it as "Sudut" type because this swallow nest is taken from the corner ceiling of the swallow nest house.


4. BROKEN SWALLOW NEST: We call it "Patahan" type. This type is taken from the edge of the swallow nest.


5. RETAIL SWALLOW NEST : This product has 2 forms i.e loose and "the horse shoes" ("Tapal Kuda" forms) . This form is not the standard, we create by our own idea so that it'll look nicer. This type is very suitable for medicine or food and beverage products. This type may be purchased in small quantity eg 1 ounce.

All of these products can be viewed in the right side bar.

That's all the brief explanation about our products swallow nest and for any enquiries, you may e-mail at sbnbiz@gmail.com

Looking forward to serving you

CLASSIFICATION OF SWALLOW NEST

Swallow nest is classified into cave nest and house nest in terms of sourcing.

Cave nests are those constructed by edible-nest swiftlets in caves and on cliffs. Owing to the harsh natural climate and environment, the nest is firm, hard and deep in color. It is not as well shaped as house nest and exhibits higher impurities. Cave nest is crunchy with a low swelling capacity that lengthens the time for it to swell when preparing.

House nest refers to the nest built in wooden-roofed swallow farmhouses that are humid and dark. The interior temperature is kept at around 30 ¢J. Brightness and humidity (about 90%) are also maintained to the conditions similar to the bird's natural cave habitat. Swiftlets leave the farmhouse to find food in the wild in the morning and returns in the evening.
Since the farmhouse provides the swallows a better habitat, house nests are much cleaner with less impurities and feathers. They also have an intact cup shape, and have a high swelling capacity.

Swallow nest is also classified according to colors: white, blood-red and yellow, even grey and purple. Different colors exist in the nests because swiftlets feed on different food. White nests are generally smooth, while yellow and blood-red nests are crunchier because they contain more minerals than white nests.
The market generally differentiates swallow nest based on its appearance: the natural whole nest cup, nest strips, nest pieces, and the irregular shaped nest cake processed from nest pieces. The whole nest cup looks better, has the highest nutritional value and is priced the highest. Most nest cups come from house nests.

During processing and shipping, some nest cups are broken into strips and pieces and they are then sold as such. Their swelling capacity and prices are lower but the nutritional value is the same as that of nest cups. However, because cave nests contain more impurities and feathers, the nests may be required to be broken during processing in order to remove dirt and feathers. After disintegration and removal of feathers and impurities, the nest may be sold in nest strips and nest pieces, or molded into the shape of a nest cake. These nests generally contain less nest-cement and are of less nutritional value.

PROCESSING THE SWALLOW NEST

Harvest Time

Swallow nests are harvested 3 times per year. So swiftlets lose their homes three times a season. The first period is from November to March, which is immediately followed by the second and third periods.
Rainfall is particularly substantial during the first period. This provides an environment highly suitable for the growth of tiny animals and plants, giving swiftlets plenty of food. Swiftlets in this period grow particularly strong and thereby produce copious amount of saliva. Swallow nests harvested during this period are the best because they are big and thick, containing fewer impurities.

The second harvesting period is during the dry season, between April and June. There is a decrease in food supply for the swiftlets and this results in the nests being thin and loose and the nest threads thick. The shape and the swelling capacity of the nests are poorer than those of the first period.

The third period is well within the drought season, between July and October. During this period of the year, the swiftlets are weak. Their secretion of saliva is low and feathers come off more easily.
Swallow nests that are constructed are smaller in size, containing more impurities and feathers and have a very poor swelling capacity. As the nests are traditionally harvested from high up on cave walls, there is some risk to the collectors who stand on bamboo scaffolding that is sometimes hundreds of feet tall and centuries old. The risk involved in harvesting is a reason why cave swallow nest is so expensive. In contrast, house swallow nest is less expensive.


Cleaning the Nest
Processing swallow's nest is a long, tedious and labor intensive process.
First the raw swallow's nest has to be soaked for 2 to 48 hours for them to absorb water and expand. Depending on the kind of nests, the time required for them to expand or swell is different. The water need not be retained after soaking.

The next step is to separate the feathers from the edible cement content. Larger feathers can be easily plucked off with a pair of forceps.

Finally, place the expanded swallow nest on a double-layer stainless steel strainer. Rinse with tap water and at the same time tear the threads of the nest apart to remove the impurities.

ABOUT BIRD NEST

Bird nest has been very well known since Tang Dynasty (618-907). Bird nest has high value selling because it is good for health, even it is believed that bird nest is good for lungs, good for blood circulation and it can increase the stamina. Pregnant women is very strongly recommended to consume the bird nest so that their wombs would be strong
Bird nest is good not only for the health, but bird nest also good for the skin face. It prevents premature aging
Now, I’m going a bit tell you about “the history” of bird nest. The bird which produces bird nest is Swallow. The swallow likes eating insects and the body of the swallow is thin and small, so that when they fly, they’ll fly aerodynamically.
The swallow never nest in trees. They like nesting in humid, dark and no density population and swallow does not like pests.
The pests such as rats, cockroaches, lizards, would disturb the swallow because they would eat the swallow’s egg.

Perhaps you are wondering what part of the swallow were taken. Human take the bird’s silvary glands which become enlarged, and produce thick, sticky, ropy saliva which hardens, once exposed to air. Over a period of weeks the birds construct a bowl shaped nest of several layers. The first Birds Nest harvest is before the Swifts have a chance to lay their eggs and a second harvest is done after the young swiftlets have left the nest. The second harvest is considered a lower grade of birds nest. There are a few types of Birds Nest, the highest quality being White Birds Nest which comes from the first harvest. Red Birds Nest, the color is caused by the bird’s diet and not the bird’s blood as originally thought. Golden and Black Birds Nest, which are thought to be the lowest quality due to the amount of feathers, plant and dirt particles embedded in the nests.

The main nutritional contents are carbohydrates, glycoprotein, calcium, phosphorous, iron, iodine, and vitamins. Birds Nest is rich in amino acids and antioxidants, the two essential elements that help to generate new cells and counter free radical damage. Regular consumption has been clinically proven to stimulate cell growth and renewal, improve complexion, promote skin clarity and tone, strengthen the bodies immune system and enhance metabolism.

To prepare the Birds Nest you first soak the nest in water for several hours, periodically changing the water. Any left over particles should be removed. Once the nest has softened it is then placed into a ceramic urn with water (about one cup per nest) and rock sugar. The urn is then covered and placed into a boiling pot of water and boiled for an up to four hours.

SWALLOW NEST RECIPE

BIRD NEST SOUP WITH MUSHROOM

Ingredients:
8 oz. birds' nests
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. fresh ginger root, chopped
4 oz. cooked chicken, cubed
4 oz. button mushrooms, quartered
8 oz. canned quail eggs, drained
7 ½ cups chicken stock

Directions:
1. Soak the birds' nest in water for 5 minutes, then drain.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan.
3. Add the ginger and fry for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
4. Stir in the chicken, mushrooms, eggs and stock and bring to boil.
5. Reduce the heat to low and add birds' nests/ Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Serve at once in bowls.