On November 3, 2024, the 21st Annual Conference of the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology was held in the mountainous city of Chongqing. This conference was co-hosted by ten institutions, including Southwest University and the Sichuan Institute of Food Science and Technology. The "Top Ten Advances in Chinese Food Science and Technology for 2024" were announced concurrently with the conference. "Key Technologies and Industrial Applications for Biomanufacturing of Filamentous Fungal Microbial Proteins," developed by a team from Jiangnan University, Fushine Pharmaceuticals, and Fushine Biology, was selected for the award.

Grasping the pulse of the times and focusing on key technology breakthroughs in the food industry

The theme of this annual meeting is "Food Technology and Development Driven by Mission". Meng Suhe, Honorary President of the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology, and 11 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering including Sun Baoguo, Xie Jianping, Zhu Beiwei, Chen Jian, Qian Feng, Ren Fazheng, Li Peiwu, Shan Yang, Xie Mingyong, Jin Zhengyu and Xue Changhu, as well as relevant experts attended the conference to discuss how to form the overall development advantages of my country's food technology under the guidance of the big agriculture concept and the big food concept, store grain in technology, promote high-quality development of the food industry, and meet the people's new needs for a better life at a high level!

The Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology (CSFT), established in November 1980, is a national, academic, non-profit social organization voluntarily formed by food industry scientists and technicians and organizations related to food science and technology. It is a component of the China Association for Science and Technology. After more than 20 years of development, the CSFT Annual Conference has become a leading event in China's food science and technology sector, carrying the mission and responsibility of promoting high-quality development of the food industry. The "Top Ten Advances in Chinese Food Science and Technology" award, one of the annual conference awards, is widely sought from domestic food science and technology colleges, research institutes, enterprises, and grassroots scientific and technological workers. The award reflects the major breakthroughs achieved in my country's food science and technology sector and highlights the leading and advanced nature of food science and technology development.

Focusing on "new quality" protein research to outline the future food landscape

In the conference's keynote address, Professor Chen Jian, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Vice President of the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology, and Director of the Academic Committee of Jiangnan University, focused on the latest research hotspots in synthetic biology. He proposed in his report, "Future Food and Biomanufacturing," that the scientific implementation of the "Big Food Concept" requires expanding new food resources, innovating food synthesis pathways, optimizing food supply structures, and improving food supply efficiency. A survey of my country's overall future food technology landscape revealed that the top five areas include biosynthesis of food staples, high-value resource conversion throughout the food manufacturing process, precise food nutrient delivery and comprehensive control systems, and the creation of cell factories for nutrient and flavor ingredients.

Academician Chen Jian specifically noted that, globally, novel proteins are becoming a key area of competition among countries. Biomanufacturing, particularly synthetic biology, plays a crucial role in producing "novel" proteins and achieving precision nutrition. Chen Jian cited the creation of microbial proteins as an example. He explained that my country's microbial protein industry is booming, and the co-production of microbial proteins with nutrients and flavorings has become a major trend in the industry.

Fushine Weiran protein is a high-quality protein with excellent nutrition

In order to effectively meet people's growing and diversified demand for high-quality protein, Fushine has applied microbial fermentation technology to protein production through continuous technological research and development and breakthroughs, successfully developed Weiran protein, and became the first domestic company to achieve ton-level industrialization of filamentous fungal protein.

Over the past year, Fushine has successfully transformed its microbial protein research findings into practical production, successfully obtaining ISO22000, BRC, SQF, and HACCP certifications, as well as HALAL certification. Fushine's microbial protein also offers advantages in downstream applications, with potential applications in meat substitutes, protein beverages, high-protein baked goods, plant-based dairy products, dietary supplements, high-protein nutritional supplements, and pet food. To date, Fushine has built a 1,200-ton microbial protein production line and is currently operating. Construction is currently underway on the first phase of a 200,000-ton annual microbial protein and resource comprehensive utilization project.

This award, recognized as one of the "Top Ten Advances in Chinese Food Science and Technology," represents the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology's recognition of Fushine's Weiran Protein, which has become a model for Fushine's successful implementation of new quality productivity. In the future, Fushine will continue to contribute to meeting the diverse food consumption and nutritional health needs of the public with higher quality.