Feihe (06186) Hosts a Sub-forum at the CHINA FOODS Science and Technology Society Annual Conference: Proprietary Protein Technology in Dialogue with Industry Frontiers

Recently, the 23rd Annual Conference of the CHINA FOODS Science and Technology Society was held in Kunming, Yunnan. This year's annual conference featured nearly 40 events, nearly 30 thematic sub-forums, and nearly 300 academic reports, with multiple academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and food science and technology professionals gathering in the Spring City to discuss the technological path for the food industry's transition toward nutrition and health. At the conference, a sub-forum on "Food Component Interactions and Nutritional Immune Regulation," supported by Feihe (06186), was held, where participating experts exchanged views on the frontiers of food components, nutrition, and immune science. Sun Baoguo, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chairman of the CHINA FOODS Science and Technology Society, said in his address at the conference that the fundamental path for the food industry to grow from large to strong lies in technological innovation, and that basic research must serve as solid support to drive science and technology from "supporting" to "leading." This judgment is also the starting point for Feihe's long-term commitment to sustained investment in the field of milk proteins over the years. Lactoferrin is an important active protein in dairy products and one of the core ingredients in infant formula, and it was long dependent on imports. To break the situation of key raw materials being controlled by others, Feihe took the lead in building domestic production lines for high-end active proteins such as lactoferrin and high-purity -lactalbumin in China, and laid out three major deep-processing bases in Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia, launching the "Zhichun FURIMMO" raw material brand. At present, the company has achieved 100% in-house research, production, and control of 16 core raw materials. Beyond its own production lines, Feihe continues to explore next-generation protein ingredient technologies. At the sub-forum, Zhu Tianze, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of industrial partner Zhinuo Technology, delivered a report on behalf of Feihe titled "Biosynthesis and Industrialization of Human Milk Lactoferrin," introducing research progress on preparing lactoferrin using synthetic biology approaches. At present, the related research has completed fermentation process scale-up and purification validation, exploring a new path for the large-scale acquisition of high-quality functional proteins; industrial application still requires corresponding safety evaluation and regulatory approval. "Biosynthesis means the acquisition of high-quality functional proteins no longer relies solely on natural extraction, and it also leaves room for future formula upgrades," Zhu Tianze said in his report, noting that milk protein innovation is moving from basic nutritional supply toward more segmented populations and scenarios, ultimately reaching the daily meals of ordinary people. From building its own production lines to jointly tracking frontiers with universities and research institutions, Feihe is building an open and collaborative protein research chain. The company previously established the Feihe Life Science Protein Research Fund, open to research and medical institutions for project applications, to support basic research and health applications of milk proteins and promote deep integration of industry, academia, research, and application. In the future, Feihe will continue to take independently controllable core technologies as its foundation, gather forces from all parties through an open and collaborative research mechanism, promote the deep integration of protein nutrition science and the food industry, and contribute to the CHINA FOODS industry's transition toward nutrition and health.