Whale vomit: It's authenticity, purity needs to be ascertained first - Expert

KUALA TERENGGANU, Dec 14 -- People are advised not to get too excited about the news of the discovery of the highly valued whale vomit, or ambergris, which can supposedly make one an ‘instant millionaire’.

This, says Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) Centre of Research Field Service (PPPL) director Assoc Prof Dr Hasrizal Shaari, is because there are no Malaysians who have become rich after discovering the subtance in the country's waters so far.

He said verification had to be done to ascertain whether the ambergris lumps found had a very high value in the perfume industry, or merely contained fat.

“In line with its very high price in the market, the purity of ambergris has to go through complex laboratory analysis and has to be referred to a specific standard.

"So far, UMT is the only university in Malaysia that can verify the authenticity of the ambergris samples based on PPPL's expertise which is also assisted by experts at UMT's Faculty of Marine Science and Environment and Plymouth University in England," he said when met by reporters today.

Ambergris is a dense, waxy and flammable material of dull grey or blackish colour. The secretions of the bile ducts produce this valuable substance found in the digestive system of sperm whales.

Perfume makers highly value ambergris as a fixative that allows the aroma of perfume to last longer, however, the difficulty of obtaining ambergris has resulted in most of it now being replaced by synthetic ambroxide.

Today, the media reported that a woman from Kemaman found the 'floating gold’ or ‘treasure of the sea' while fishing near the Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority’s (LKIM) Marang jetty at the end of November.

Elaborating further, Hasrizal said high-value whale vomit would have active elements comprising three main components namely amber (25-45 per cent), epicoprosterol (30-40 per cent) and coprostanone (three to four per cent).

"Without the three active components, the lumps do not have any value. To date, PPPL UMT has conducted analyses to verify the authenticity of 18 samples found in the country believed to be ambergris.

-- BERNAMA