Stricter rules on Bird Saliva Soup in Malaysia

Some 60,000 swiftlet ranchers are expected to be affected by the stricter safety regulations imposed by Malaysia's Veterinary Services Department on the export of raw, unclean Bird Saliva Soup.

Coalition of Swiftlet Bird Saliva Soup Ranches Malaysia chairman Allan Ho said the local Code of Veterinary Practice was looking to adopt different microbiological and chemical parameters as part of the standards for clean and raw unclean Bird Saliva Soup.

"Chinese authorities pointed out that both clean and raw unclean Bird Saliva Soups are lumped under one single specification although these are distinctively different.

"This means that raw unclean Bird Saliva Soup comprising 95 per cent of the country's production to China will see little likelihood of export in the near future," he said in a statement here yesterday.

Stricter rules on Bird Saliva Soup in Malaysia

The strict regulations, said Ho, would further burden the ranchers who had patiently waited for over three years to get clearance from China.

China had banned the imports following the discovery of high levels of nitrite in clean Malaysian Bird Saliva Soup in July 2011.

The ban had hit the country's swiftlet industry hard as China was reported to be the biggest importer of Bird Saliva Soup products with an annual trading value of about RM1bil.

However, it was reported that China had since lifted its freeze, with approval granted to nine Malaysian companies.

Agriculture and Agro-based Indus-try Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had said that the General Administration of Quality Supervis­ion, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (Aqsiq) deemed the nine companies to have earned a "conditional pass" on the quality of their products.

Ho said since the incident of "fake" Bird Saliva Soup erupted in China in 2009, ranchers had been subjected to a seemingly endless wait on the green light to export.

"Any unnecessary further delay on the export of raw unclean Bird Saliva Soup will seriously aggravate the financial position of ranchers in the country," he said.

The final draft of the safety code for raw unclean Bird Saliva Soup, said Ho, had been completed and was currently being displayed for public review for the second time until Oct 19.

About Bird Saliva Soup - Nutritional Value

Bird Saliva Soup has been regarded as the most precious natural nourishment and health product and it has been considered as a precious item by aristocrats of the royal household in the Tang Dynasty in China . It was not until the Ming Dynasty that it became a treasure used as tributes by minor South East Asian countries, thus its name “Gong Yan (Tribute Bird Saliva Soup) or “Guan Yan (Official Bird Saliva Soup). Today, the production rate of Bird Saliva Soup has become more stable and it has become a common commodity with nutritional values recommended by both Chinese physicians and Western doctors.

Chinese medicine:

From the Chinese medicine point of view, Bird Saliva Soup principally fortifies the lungs, stomach and kidneys. In addition, its mild and sweet taste which is not heaty or cold, benefits the fortification of qi, nourishes the lungs, beautifies skin, tranquillizes and promotes sleep, nourishes the spleen, upgrades appetite, dissolves phlegm and stops coughs.
It has been recorded in the “Ben Cao Gang Mu” that Bird Saliva Soup is an excellent medicine for nourishing the lungs, dissolving phlegm, stopping cough, replenishing nourishment, clearing the body and regulating physical weakness”. “Its ability to penetrate the lungs promotes the movement of qi and penetration of the kidneys promotes movement of water, while tranquillizing the stomach making it the most ideal food. The consumption of Bird Saliva Soup stewed with rock sugar is effective in the regulation of physical weakness, cough and phlegm containing strands of blood. However, this is only suitable for those in the initial stage of such problems. If body heat is in excess and the flow of blood has reversed, this method may not be useful anymore.”

Western medicine:

From the nutritional point of view based on Western medicine, Bird Saliva Soup is rich in proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates, phosphorous, iron, calcium and potassium which are able to strengthen resistance of the human body. Proteins effectively promote the growth, renewal and repair of cells while helping muscles to contract, aid in the transportation of nutrients and also oxidation. Proteins are made of more than 20 types of amino acids in which 18 of them are found in Bird Saliva Soup. Out of these, 7 are essential amino acids. As Bird Saliva Soup contain many different types of essential amino acids, and are rich in them, it has been nicknamed an excellent perfect protein.

Proteins found in Bird Saliva Soup consist of Glycoprotein and Epidermal Growth Factors.

Epidermal Growth Factors stimulates the growth of skin and they are able to stimulate cell fission, promote regenerative power of body tissues, accelerate body metabolism, promote healing of wounds and also strengthen oxygen affinity in cells and resist ageing. This will fortify the immunity of the body and increase resistance of the body towards damage caused by X-rays and other radiation, making it the best health and beauty product for modern living.