Gathering wisdom on the Yangtze River: an industry event about the future of food

On the banks of the Yangtze River, a gathering of distinguished individuals gathered. On May 25th, the Second National Microbial Protein Technology Innovation and Industry Development Conference was grandly held at the Taohualing Hotel in Yichang, Hubei. This industry event, themed "Technology Empowers Protein Innovation, Intelligent Manufacturing Leads the Future of the Industry," was hosted by the China Bio-fermentation Industry Association and co-organized by Angel Yeast Co., Ltd., Jiangxi Fushine Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., the Future Food Science Center of Jiangnan University, and the New Protein Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology. It initiated strategic discussions on the future of food security and sustainable development for humanity.

Conference site

Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Chen Jian, Xie Mingyong, and Xue Changhu, academician of the International Academy of Food Science and director of the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center Li Ning, deputy secretary of the Yichang Municipal Party Committee and mayor Chen Honghui, member of the Yichang Municipal Party Committee, secretary of the Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and member of the Municipal Government Party Leadership Group Yang Weihua, chairman of the China Bio-fermentation Industry Association Yu Xuejun, and vice chairman and secretary-general Wang Jie attended the event.

Fushine Pharmaceuticals Chairman Bao Jianhua, Vice Chairman Li Huiyue and the microbial protein team also attended the meeting. The conference brought together more than 300 domestic and foreign academicians, scholars, business leaders and technology pioneers to discuss microbial protein technology innovation and future development trends of the industry, and promote technological breakthroughs and industrial upgrading in the field of microbial protein.

Yu Xuejun, Chairman of the China Bio-fermentation Industry Association

Yu Xuejun, Chairman of the China Bio-fermentation Industry Association, said in his opening speech: "The rise of the microbial protein industry carries the mission of the times to ensure national food safety and promote green development. The China Bio-fermentation Industry Association will always adhere to the purpose of serving the country and the industry, actively implement national strategies, build high-end platforms, gather wisdom and strength, promote industry exchanges, vigorously promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, actively reflect industry demands, accelerate standard setting, and lead the high-quality development of the microbial protein industry.”

Thought-provoking: Exploring the infinite frontiers of microbial proteins

The conference agenda is mainly divided into three parts: academician forum, plenary report and round-table dialogue. It will conduct technical discussions on cutting-edge fields such as intelligent design and high-throughput screening of bacterial strains, AI-driven fermentation process optimization, precise regulation of nutritional functions, construction of safety and risk assessment systems, intelligent equipment development and industrial application. Industry pioneers will respond to the issue of human food security with innovative thinking and practical experience.

With the global population exceeding 9 billion and climate change intensifying, the ecological pressures and resource bottlenecks of traditional agriculture are becoming increasingly prominent. As a strategic emerging industry, microbial protein, centered on synthetic biology, transforms renewable resources into high-quality protein through efficient fermentation processes. With significant advantages such as high resource utilization, low carbon emissions, and short production cycles, it is a key tool for implementing China's national food security strategy and achieving its "dual carbon" goals.

According to the first joint research report released by BCG (Boston Consulting Group) and Blue Horizon, consumers are driving unprecedented growth in alternative proteins from plants, microorganisms and animal cells. By 2035, the market for alternative meat, eggs, dairy and seafood products will reach at least US$290 billion, of which microbial fermented protein will account for 22% of the market share.

Xie Mingyong, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Professor of Nanchang University

The Academician Forum was hosted by Academician Xie Mingyong.

Chen Jian, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, professor and doctoral supervisor at Jiangnan University

Chen Jian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at Jiangnan University, gave a special presentation on "Biomanufacturing and Novel Proteins: Tasks and Challenges". He deeply analyzed the challenges faced by the integration of industry, academia and research in biomanufacturing in the new era, and believed that novel proteins also showed great potential in terms of environmental friendliness, resource conservation, nutrition and health, and will become a major new industry in biomanufacturing in the future!

Xue Changhu, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, professor at Ocean University of China

Xue Changhu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at the Ocean University of China, talked about the exploration and application of new marine proteins and the opportunities they face under the dual challenges of population expansion and traditional proteins.

Li Ning, academician of the International Academy of Food Science,
Director and Researcher of the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center

Li Ning, academician of the International Academy of Food Science, director and researcher of the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center, gave a speech entitled "Current Status and Prospects of Microbial Protein Management", interpreting the current status of microbial protein from the perspective of food safety and providing technological innovations and scientific suggestions.

Expert Report

The conference invited 12 experts to give reports and exchanges on bacterial proteins and functional proteins, microbial protein processing and safety assessment.

Li Huiyue, Vice Chairman and Chief Engineer of Jiangxi Fushine Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Li Huiyue, Vice Chairman of Fushine Pharmaceuticals, gave a detailed report on the topic of "Green and Large-Scale Manufacturing and Application of High-Quality Microbial Protein" in his conference report. He systematically introduced the research progress and future application scenarios of Fushine's new protein, and pointed out: "Fushine's new protein has a high protein content and is rich in dietary fiber, calcium, zinc minerals and amino acids. It is low in fat, low in calories, zero cholesterol, and does not contain antibiotics. It is a healthy and nutritious high-quality protein. It can meet human's pursuit of a better life." In addition, Fushine can use the mother liquor after extracting protein from the microbial protein fermentation broth for comprehensive resource utilization and use it for the production of amino acid water-soluble fertilizers. At present, this technology has applied for an invention patent for "A method for preparing amino acid aqueous solution using microbial fermentation waste liquid."

Fushine new quality protein process cycle diagram

Fushine's novel protein has become a model for Fushine Pharmaceuticals' successful implementation of novel productivity. Amidst the green revolution of microbial proteins, Fushine is actively promoting the commercialization of its scientific and technological achievements, fostering new momentum for industrial development. Currently, new products developed based on its novel protein mimic the texture of meat, rivaling both the taste and appearance of real meat, exploring new frontiers in healthy food and beverages. Through independent research and development and external collaborations, Fushine plans to develop over ten consumer-oriented products across multiple sectors, expanding its applications into more categories and providing a "Fushine" solution to addressing population growth and food insecurity.

Fushine's new protein research and development products

As of now, Fushine, as the first domestic company to realize the ton-level industrialization of filamentous fungal protein, has achieved an annual production capacity of 1,200 tons. Based on market demand and future industrial development trends, it is building a project (Phase I) with an annual output of 200,000 tons of microbial protein and its comprehensive resource utilization. After the project is completed and put into production, it will be able to form an annual production capacity of 20,000 tons of microbial protein and 50,000 tons of amino acid water-soluble fertilizer.

The Second National Microbial Protein Technology Innovation and Industry Development Conference concluded successfully. Riding the wave of microbial protein development, Fushine, guided by the protection of national food security and the "dual carbon" strategy, continues to delve into the field of synthetic biology and promote the rapid development of the microbial protein industry.