As spring tides surge across the Yellow Sea, fruitful achievements emerge from the blue ocean. On the morning of March 20, the launch ceremony of alginate oligosaccharides as a new national food ingredient was held in the West Coast New Area of Qingdao. Under the theme "New Ingredients · New Blue Ocean · New Future", the event systematically reviewed the development process of alginate oligosaccharides as a new food ingredient, focused on the in-depth integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation, and pooled strengths from government, industry, universities, research institutes and end-users to explore new paths and opportunities for the high-value utilization of marine biological resources.
This achievement was released by Qingdao Dakang Marine Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Dakang Company"). The ceremony was co-hosted by Qingdao Gather Great Ocean Algae Industry Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Gather Great Ocean") and the Qingdao Marine Biomedical Research Institute of Ocean University of China (hereinafter referred to as "Marine Pharmaceutical Research Institute").
Distinguished leaders and experts attended the event, including Li Yanliang, Vice President of China Fisheries Association; Wang Jinhua, former Director General of the Department of Social Affairs, Ministry of Civil Affairs; Mei Xiaodong, Chief Engineer of the Department of Natural Resources of Shandong Province; Zhao Shengcun, Vice Mayor of Qingdao; Zhang Junfeng, President of Ocean University of China; and Du Guanhua, Academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, Technical Chief Scientist of the "Blue Medicine Talents" High-level Talent Program of Ocean University of China, and President of the Marine Pharmaceutical Research Institute. More than 300 representatives from government, scientific and industrial sectors gathered to witness this grand occasion.
Wu Shipeng, Chairman of Gather Great Ocean, delivered a welcome speech. He pointed out that the approval of alginate oligosaccharides as a new national food ingredient has achieved a "zero breakthrough" in the application of alginate oligosaccharides in the food sector, marking a key leap from agriculture and daily chemical industries to the food industry. On March 4, Dakang Company obtained the food production license, becoming the first legal producer of alginate oligosaccharides as a new food ingredient in China and the first in the world. These series of breakthroughs have opened the "last mile" for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, embodying the enterprise’s commitment to solid industrial development, serving the country through innovation, and pursuing the vision of building a maritime power and developing the "Blue Medicine Warehouse".
Moving forward, Gather Great Ocean will continue to focus on the transformation of scientific and technological achievements of the "Blue Medicine Warehouse", scale up mass production, bring alginate oligosaccharides to thousands of households to safeguard public health, and support the high-quality development of Qingdao’s marine biomedical industry.
On behalf of the Qingdao Marine Biomedical Research Institute of Ocean University of China, Du Guanhua extended congratulations to the project team and spoke highly of the significance of alginate oligosaccharides being approved as a new national food ingredient for the development of the "Blue Medicine Warehouse", public health and the high-quality development of the marine economy. He noted that this achievement has opened up a new frontier for protecting human health and improving quality of life. It is not only a natural outcome of decades of dedicated research on the innovative development of marine biological resources by Ocean University of China and the team led by Academician Guan Huashi, but also an innovative achievement forged through source collaboration and joint tackling of key problems between Gather Great Ocean, Ocean University of China and the Marine Pharmaceutical Research Institute, endowing marine health foods with new scientific connotations.
He called on Qingdao-based enterprises to rely on this locally developed marine scientific and technological achievement, join hands with the project team to expand diversified application scenarios of alginate oligosaccharides, leverage Qingdao’s rich marine biological resources, deepen industry-university-research integration through "pre-innovation collaboration", and accelerate the conversion of marine resources into health products. Such efforts will not only protect public health and empower industrial upgrading through innovative achievements, but also inject more "blue medicine" momentum into the high-quality development of Qingdao’s marine economy.
Xue Shan, Deputy District Mayor of the West Coast New Area, and Li Yanliang, Vice President of China Fisheries Association, delivered speeches successively. Both agreed that the successful approval of alginate oligosaccharides as a new food ingredient is an iconic achievement for Qingdao in fostering marine new-quality productive forces and promoting collaborative innovation in the marine biomedical sector.
Dr. Li Quancai, Senior Engineer of the Marine Pharmaceutical Research Institute, General Manager of Dakang Company and Project Leader, presented a project report titled Alginate Oligosaccharides as a New Food Ingredient Boosts the Rise of the Marine Biomedical Industry. He introduced that alginate oligosaccharides, as a new type of marine functional factor, show promising potential in promoting intestinal health, brain health and other aspects, providing innovative solutions for the development of marine functional foods with huge future potential.
Mr. Wu Nianxi, General Manager of Qingdao Gather Great Ocean Algae Industry Group Co., Ltd. and Chairman of Qingdao Dakang Marine Biotechnology Co., Ltd., read out the approval notice issued by the National Health Commission listing alginate oligosaccharides as a new national food ingredient. This approval marks a milestone for the industry and a new starting point for enterprise development.
At the ceremony, Qingdao Dakang Marine Biotechnology Co., Ltd. signed strategic cooperation intentions with partners including Qingdao Huanghai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Qingdao Hehai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Shengyuan Laojuntang Biotechnology Co., Ltd., and Xiuzheng International Group, to jointly promote the industrialization of alginate oligosaccharides. With the lighting of the launch screen, alginate oligosaccharides as a new food ingredient were officially released to the world.
In recent years, leveraging its abundant marine resources, Qingdao has been committed to building a pioneering modern marine city, intensifying the development of the "Blue Medicine Warehouse", gathering and optimizing innovation resources through government-industry-university-research collaborative innovation, and driving the high-quality development of the marine bio industry. The launch ceremony of alginate oligosaccharides not only showcases major innovative achievements in Qingdao’s marine biological sector, but also demonstrates the local determination to deepen innovation integration and promote industrial upgrading.
Going forward, all parties will deepen collaborative innovation, focus on the multi-scenario application of alginate oligosaccharides, upgrade the marine biological products industry, support the national health cause, and inject new impetus into the high-quality development of Qingdao’s marine economy.
