Calcite deposits differentiate cave from house-farmed edible bird's nest as shown by SEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR and raman microspectroscopy
The difference between the swiftlet white edible bird's nest from limestone caves versus house-farmed ones, especially in response to high temperature and stewing time in water where the latter type would disintegrate readily, has been a puzzle for a long time. We show that edible bird's n...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2022
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/155196 |
| _version_ | 1811696897250820096 |
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| author | Shim, Eric Kian-Shiun Lee, Soo-Ying |
| author2 | School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences |
| author_facet | School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Shim, Eric Kian-Shiun Lee, Soo-Ying |
| author_sort | Shim, Eric Kian-Shiun |
| collection | NTU |
| description | The difference between the swiftlet white edible bird's nest from limestone caves versus house-farmed ones, especially in response to high temperature and stewing time in water where the latter type would disintegrate readily, has been a puzzle for a long time. We show that edible bird's nests from the limestone caves have calcite deposits on the surface of the nest cement as compared to the house-farmed nests which are built by swiftlets on timber planks. The micron and sub-micron calcite particles are seen in SEM-EDX and further characterized by ATR-FTIR and Raman microspectroscopy. The calcite deposits make it possible for the cave nest to retain a gelatinous texture under the harsh retort conditions at 121 °C for 20 mins in commercial bottling. We show that house-farmed nests can be soaked in CaCl2 (aq) followed by rinsing with Na2 CO3 (aq) to grow the same calcite deposits on the nest cement with the same characteristic as cave nests. Therefore, there should no longer be a need to harvest cave nests, and we can better conserve the dwindling population and natural habitats of cave swiftlets. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T07:46:40Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/155196 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T07:46:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1551962022-02-18T08:16:28Z Calcite deposits differentiate cave from house-farmed edible bird's nest as shown by SEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR and raman microspectroscopy Shim, Eric Kian-Shiun Lee, Soo-Ying School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Science::Chemistry Edible Bird’s Nest Electron Microscopy The difference between the swiftlet white edible bird's nest from limestone caves versus house-farmed ones, especially in response to high temperature and stewing time in water where the latter type would disintegrate readily, has been a puzzle for a long time. We show that edible bird's nests from the limestone caves have calcite deposits on the surface of the nest cement as compared to the house-farmed nests which are built by swiftlets on timber planks. The micron and sub-micron calcite particles are seen in SEM-EDX and further characterized by ATR-FTIR and Raman microspectroscopy. The calcite deposits make it possible for the cave nest to retain a gelatinous texture under the harsh retort conditions at 121 °C for 20 mins in commercial bottling. We show that house-farmed nests can be soaked in CaCl2 (aq) followed by rinsing with Na2 CO3 (aq) to grow the same calcite deposits on the nest cement with the same characteristic as cave nests. Therefore, there should no longer be a need to harvest cave nests, and we can better conserve the dwindling population and natural habitats of cave swiftlets. Nanyang Technological University We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University. We also gratefully acknowledge Dr Lim Chia Juan, Research Director, Brand's Suntory Asia, Suntory Beverage & Food Asia, Singapore, and Dr Lim Chan Koon, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, for providing bird's nest samples. 2022-02-18T07:36:52Z 2022-02-18T07:36:52Z 2020 Journal Article Shim, E. K. & Lee, S. (2020). Calcite deposits differentiate cave from house-farmed edible bird's nest as shown by SEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR and raman microspectroscopy. Chemistry - An Asian Journal, 15(16), 2487-2492. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/asia.202000520 1861-4728 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/155196 10.1002/asia.202000520 32562343 2-s2.0-85087393716 16 15 2487 2492 en Chemistry - An Asian Journal © 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA,Weinheim. All rights reserved. |
| spellingShingle | Science::Chemistry Edible Bird’s Nest Electron Microscopy Shim, Eric Kian-Shiun Lee, Soo-Ying Calcite deposits differentiate cave from house-farmed edible bird's nest as shown by SEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR and raman microspectroscopy |
| title | Calcite deposits differentiate cave from house-farmed edible bird's nest as shown by SEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR and raman microspectroscopy |
| title_full | Calcite deposits differentiate cave from house-farmed edible bird's nest as shown by SEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR and raman microspectroscopy |
| title_fullStr | Calcite deposits differentiate cave from house-farmed edible bird's nest as shown by SEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR and raman microspectroscopy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Calcite deposits differentiate cave from house-farmed edible bird's nest as shown by SEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR and raman microspectroscopy |
| title_short | Calcite deposits differentiate cave from house-farmed edible bird's nest as shown by SEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR and raman microspectroscopy |
| title_sort | calcite deposits differentiate cave from house farmed edible bird s nest as shown by sem edx atr ftir and raman microspectroscopy |
| topic | Science::Chemistry Edible Bird’s Nest Electron Microscopy |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/155196 |
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