A Preliminary Study of Elemental Characterization for Geochemical Markers of House and Cave Edible Bird's Nest Using NAA Technique

Edible birds nest (EBN) is one the most highly valued food products of South East Asia. The nest is made by certain species of swift lets with a high protein glutinous secretion produced by their salivary glands. Malaysia is situated right at the heart of the golden triangle of swift let bird nest production, making it a strong producer in this lucrative agriculture industry. Issues facing the EBN industry include unknown source of origin with various quality grades, thus affecting export market and production subjected to fraud such as adulteration and counterfeiting. This study aims to characterize the elemental profiles as geochemical markers and evaluate the relationships between these markers which could be used for the verification of the geographical origin of EBN in Malaysia. EBN samples from house and cave nests that represent a range of geographical and environmental characteristics were analysed using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) technique. The method was validated by analysing the Standard Reference Material SRM-1515 (Apple Leaves) and SRM-1573a (Tomato Leaves) of NIST. A total of 15 elements were determined. The results showed significant different in elemental profile of EBN between the nest types on Al, As, Ba, Br, Ca, Cl, Na, Sc, Sm, Th and Rb content. (author)