1. Introduction
Edible bird’s nest is also known as Yan Wo. It is one of the most
expensive animal products of saliva secretion produced from
two specific swiftlets, namely the Aerodramus fuciphagus and
Aerodramus maximus [1]. The white-nests produced by
A. fuciphagus are usually marketed at a higher price compared
to the black-nests from the A. maximus. This is due to the consumers’ perceptions that white-nests have higher
nutritional values. Edible bird’s nest contains high nutritional
content such as protein, carbohydrates, mineral salts and
amino acids [2–4]. It also possess high medicinal benefits in
enhancing complexion, strengthening immune system,
stimulating epidermal growth, depressing the production of
tumour necrosis factor-alpha, inhibiting influenza virus
infection and improving respiratory and digestive problems
[5–9]. Edible bird’s nest is widely consumed and used in the
Chinese commodities, especially in China and Hong Kong.
There was an estimated market of the edible bird’s nests of
about HK$3 billions since 2004 in Hong Kong [10]. The edible
bird’s nest is commonly found in derivatives such as soups,beverages, cuisines as well as cosmetics and skin care
products. The colour of edible bird’s nest usually range from
white and ivory for house nests to yellow and brown for cave
nests. Colour is an important attribute which can serve as an
indicator for food quality and also closely related to consumer
food acceptability [11]