Quality of edible bird’s nest treated by keratinolytic enzymes-based cleaning solution

Edible bird's nest (EBN) is one of the luxury foods that is widely used as a healthy food due to its nutritional value and therapeutic benefits. The traditional EBN washing process causes a reduction in weight and nutrient content and an increase in pollutants due to the use of hydrogen peroxide. An exploratory observation method was used to examine the quality of EBN from Collocalia fuciphaga before and after washing using a washing solution based on keratinolytic enzymes. There are four stages of EBN cleaning i.e. cleaning by tap water, ethanol solution, enzyme solution at room temperature and 50oC and drying at 40oC for 42 hrs. A total of 60 EBN (unclean, n = 30) and clean, n = 30) were analyzed using the AOAC method. The mineral content of Ca, Fe, K and Mg using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) except that P was measured by spectrophotometer. A carbohydrate estimation kit was used to measure glycoprotein content and the amino acid content was determined using the HPLC method. Evaluation of the cleanliness was carried out using a scoring system by semi-trained panelists. The results obtained showed that the clean EBNs were slightly yellowish-white in color, and the cleanliness of EBN before and after cleaning increased from 2.35 to 3.84. Clean EBN protein content decreased by 7.2% while total amino acids decreased from 38.51% to 32.71%. Clean EBN contains eight essential amino acids of 17.93% with high levels of leucine, valine, arginine, and threonine (2.42-2.96%). EBN's clean ash content increased from 3.7% to 7.8%. Carbohydrate content and iron in clean EBN were 39.19±0.76% and 14.35 mg/100 g dry matter, respectively. The high levels of carbohydrates and iron appear to be good sources of glycoprotein to support health and have the potential as an alternative source of iron for people with anemia. The stepwise EBN washing method using tapwater, ethanol and a washing solution based on keratinolytic enzymes can be applied to reduce weight loss and improve the quality of EBN.