Is it an IQ tax？ Bird’s nest bought at a high price may be ＂sugar water＂？

　　Recently, Wang Hai, a professional anti-counterfeiter, said that the bird’s nest sold by Internet celebrity live streaming host Simba is sugar water, which has aroused heated discussions. Related topics have frequently appeared on Weibo’s trending topic list. As a traditional tonic, bird’s nest has also become a target of public criticism: is the bird’s nest bought by consumers at a high price IQ tax?

　　Bird’s Nest Data Map, Zhongxin Longitude and Weft, Photo

　　Simba’s live stream sells "sugar water bird’s nest"?

　　On the morning of November 19, Wang Hai, a professional anti-counterfeiter and certified by Weibo as a "well-known legal blogger and author of headline articles", released a test report with the caption: After testing, the flavored drink that @Xinxuan official Weibo @Xinyouzhi xyz used as bird’s nest to fool fans is sugar water. According to the test results, the sucrose content of the product is 4.8%, while the carbohydrates in the ingredient list are 5%, confirming that the product is sugar water.

　　Wang Hai said that the sugar water does not contain protein and amino acids, and the test results show that the sialic acid content is as high as 1.4 parts per 10,000. However, the price of sialic acid per 100g content on the market is 500 yuan, and the value of 0.014g is only about 7 cents. Plus, the packaging materials, contents, processing fees, and industrial costs do not exceed 1 yuan.

　　In the test report released by Wang Hai, it can be seen that the name of the tested sample is "Mingzhi Bowl Flavor Instant Bird’s Nest". This product is the Mingzhi brand "Small Golden Bowl Bowl Bowl Flavor Instant Bird’s Nest Rock Sugar Instant Bird’s Nest" sold in the live stream of Simba’s apprentice recently.

　　On November 20, Xin Xuan’s official Weibo responded that the quality inspection report provided by Wang Hai contained not only the sugar that rock sugar bird’s nest products should contain, but also the bird’s nest ingredient: sialic acid. After the incident, the product was submitted for inspection as soon as possible, and the results were notarized and announced to the majority of netizens after being returned.

　　Xin Xuan also said that if consumers have any dissatisfaction with this product, they can apply for a return and refund to the Mingzhi Tmall flagship store, and the company will urge merchants to provide after-sales services.

　　Tianyancha information shows that the affiliated company of Mingzhi Tmall flagship store is Guangzhou Rongyu Trading Co., Ltd. The company was established in January 2019, the legal representative is Lin Xiaofang, the registered capital is 1 million RMB, and the business scope includes diamond jewelry wholesale, gemstone jewelry wholesale, pre-packaged food retail, pre-packaged food wholesale, etc. The company has applied for a number of trademarks called "Mingzhi", and the international classification includes food, beer and beverages.

　　According to the product details of Mingzhi Tmall flagship store, the manufacturer of the bird’s nest products sold is Dazhou Xinyan (Xiamen) Biotechnology Co., Ltd. Tianyancha information shows that Dazhou Xinyan (Xiamen) Biotechnology Co., Ltd. was established in March 2018, and its business scope includes food management, bio-based material technology research and development, bio-based material sales and food Internet sales (sales of pre-packaged food). The company’s largest shareholder is Hainan Dazhou Jinsiyan Industrial Group Co., Ltd., with a shareholding ratio of 70%.

　　The market is big, but there is a lot of chaos?

　　In the past two years, the number of domestic bird’s nest consumers has surged. According to the "2019 China Bird’s Nest Industry White Paper", China is the world’s largest bird’s nest consumer country. At present, there are four strong demand markets for pregnant women, health care, gift giving and delicious food. In 2019, the overall market size of China’s bird’s nest reached 30 billion yuan, and the bird’s nest market showed a rapid growth trend, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 30%. In the category of nourishing and health care, bird’s nest leads the way, accounting for nearly 30% of the turnover.

　　Ma Zengjun, president of the National Federation of Urban Agricultural Trade Centers and chairperson of the National Yan Commission, said that with the accelerated arrival of the era of national health, the bird’s nest industry is expected to develop into a 100 billion-level market with huge potential.

　　Capital is also optimistic about the development of the bird’s nest industry. Take the Internet celebrity bird’s nest brand Xiaoxian Stew as an example. According to Tianyancha, the company behind Xiaoxian Stew is Shenzhen Rongshutang Biotechnology Co., Ltd., which was established on July 19, 2012, and the legal representative is Lin Xiaoxian. At present, Xiaoxian Stew has completed four rounds of financing, and investors include Hongtai Fund, Qihu 360, 2049 Group, and well-known actor Chen Shu.

　　Source: Tianyancha

　　Recently, at the "20th Annual Meeting of Yabuli China Entrepreneur Forum", Lin Xiaoxian, founder of Xiaoxian Stew, claimed that he had received the support of many top entrepreneurs. "Zhou Hongyi decided to invest in less than 10 minutes, and Chen Shu and Zhang Ziyi also voted for me," and said that Xiaoxian Stew "has become a bowl of bird’s nest that has affected half of the entertainment industry."

　　However, behind the rapid development of the industry, the health and safety issues and production qualifications of some bird’s nest brands have also been frequently questioned by the media. Zhu Danpeng, a Chinese food industry analyst, said in an interview with the client side of Zhongxin Jingwei that at present, the development of the domestic bird’s nest industry is still immature, the industry is less constrained, the relevant data is not perfect, and there are indeed some chaos.

　　China-Singapore Jingwei reporter learned that there are no national mandatory standards and industry standards for the domestic bird’s nest industry. On March 26, 2018, the China Pharmaceutical Culture Research Association announced the establishment of a bird’s nest expert committee and officially released the "China Pharmaceutical Culture Research Association Instant Bird’s Nest Group Standard", which is one of the current industry reference standards.

　　"With the introduction of national standards in the future, it should provide good support for the development of the entire industry," Zhu Danpeng said.

　　Is bird’s nest an IQ tax?

　　It is worth mentioning that the efficacy of bird’s nest is quite controversial in the market. Some people believe that eating bird’s nest is good for the skin, and long-term use can have a cosmetic effect; others call bird’s nest a placebo and IQ tax.

　　@My heart butterfly dance: When I was pregnant, my friend recommended it. I ate 1kg, and the rhythm of eating every day. The child is indeed quite white. As for why it is white, I don’t know. I won’t eat it after giving birth.

　　@Fat House Happy Ball is a cat hairball: The main function of bird’s nest is to make ordinary people send Moments and raise their eyebrows.

　　What did @Su San say _: I bought some when I was pregnant, although I knew it was IQ tax, I always felt that others were pregnant and drank it, but I didn’t drink it, I didn’t seem to be reconciled.

　　@Gollum Hum Hum 2020: Simply because the taste has been eaten for a long time, it will not care about nutrition.

　　@Gongchang Trish: Placebo, if it’s cheap, there’s no comfort.

　　@Cute girl Enya: I think it is useful. After eating it for three consecutive months, I feel that my skin is quite transparent.

　　@My family’s Chenchen is singing: It may be an IQ tax in terms of cost performance, but it is genuine in terms of vanity.

　　The reporter noticed that some businesses advertise that bird’s nest can protect women’s ovaries, and at the same time, it has the functions of promoting cell regeneration, improving human resistance, and balancing endocrine. By taking bird’s nest regularly for a long time, the body will glow with natural health from the inside out.

　　Is bird’s nest really so divine? Ruan Guangfeng, director of the Science and Technology Department of the Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center, introduced to the client side of Zhongxin Jingwei that bird’s nest is the nest of the seabird Swiftlet, which is mostly built on the cliffs of the tropical and subtropical seaside. Swiftlets start making nests in spring, and their mouths can secrete a colloidal saliva, which is blown dry by the sea breeze and becomes a translucent and slightly yellow substance, which is known as bird’s nest. Data show that 100 grams of dried bird’s nest contains 49.9 grams of protein, 42.9 milligrams of calcium, 30.6 grams of carbohydrates, 3.0 milligrams of phosphorus, and 4.9 milligrams of iron.

　　"From the nutrient data, its protein content is not as good as the same amount of beef, chicken and other common meat products. Moreover, the protein it contains is mainly collagen, which is an incomplete protein and lacks the essential amino acid (tryptophan) required by the human body.In some ways, the nutritional value of bird’s nest is even inferior to that of eggs and ordinary meat"Ruan Guangfeng said

　　At the same time, Ruan Guangfeng believes that there is indeed a lot of sialic acid in bird’s nest, which can reach 3% -15% of the dry matter weight of bird’s nest according to some current test data. However, sialic acid is widely found in humans and animals (such as pig brains and other animal brains), not only in bird’s nest. "The human body can synthesize sialic acid by itself, and there is no need to consume it through diet at all. Even if you want to consume it, you can eat cheese and pig brain."…"

　　Ruan Guangfeng mentioned that the health benefits of bird’s nest that are now circulating are only the results of some animal experiments. However, animal experiments are very different from normal human diets. For example, the dose of sialic acid used in fruit flies and mice is very large, while ordinary people only eat occasionally, and the amount is very small, and almost no health benefits can be obtained.

　　"After all, the price of bird’s nest is very expensive. Ordinary people only eat a few grams at a time, and they can’t eat it several times a year. If you want to eat the amount in animal experiments, it is estimated that ordinary people cannot afford it." Ruan Guangfeng said.

　　Taking Xiaoxian Stew as an example, 3 bottles of 70g Xiaoxian Stewed Fresh Stewed Bird’s Nest are priced at 499 yuan, while the dry bird’s nest content in each bottle is only 3.5g. According to this calculation, the price per gram of dry bird’s nest is as high as 47.5 yuan. And Mingzhi Bird’s Nest, which is referred to as "sugar water bird’s nest", is not cheap. Among them, the price of 5 bowls (100g/bowl) of small golden bowl rock sugar ready-to-eat flavor bird’s nest gift box is 199 yuan, which is about 40 yuan per bowl.

　　Ruan Guangfeng reminded consumers that the nests of golden swallows are on the cliffs, and the collection is difficult and the output is very limited. However, there are many bird’s nest health products on the market, and it is difficult to guarantee that the bird’s nest bought by consumers is genuine. (Zhongxin Jingwei APP)