In his opening remarks, Chen Zuan, a member of the Party Leadership Group of the Hubei Provincial Market Supervision Administration, noted that advancing food science and promoting the healthy development of the food industry are critical to implementing the Healthy China strategy and fulfilling the people’s aspirations for a better life. The food industry is one of Hubei Province’s largest sectors; in 2018, the province’s core revenue from the food industry reached 616.5 billion yuan, marking an 8.3% increase and demonstrating strong growth momentum. However, further efforts are needed to drive innovation and industrial upgrading.
Li Zhaohu, President of Huazhong Agricultural University, noted that the College of Food Science and Technology is a vital component of the university’s talent cultivation and scientific innovation efforts, as well as a key hub for disciplinary development. He expressed hope that this event would further strengthen collaboration, enabling greater contributions to the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, as well as to the “Healthy China” initiative.
“Encourage exploration and emphasize originality; focus on cutting-edge research and blaze new trails; be demand-driven and break through bottlenecks; adopt a common-oriented approach and promote interdisciplinary integration.” Professor Li Xingfeng, Director of the Food Science Program at the Department of Life Sciences of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, outlined the funding priorities of the National Natural Science Foundation in the new era and provided further details on the classification of applications based on the attributes of four categories of scientific problems.
Technological Innovation: Harnessing the Power of Science-Industry Integration
In his plenary report titled “Innovation-Driven Modernization of Traditional Chinese Foods,” Sun Baoguo—Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology, and President of Beijing Technology and Business University—noted that the direction of food development is “dual-oriented toward flavor and health,” meaning that food must not only taste good but also be healthy. “Modernized production is the mainstream of the food industry’s development, but it is not the whole picture. Handcrafted food production and modernized production will coexist for the long term, complementing one another.”
“The Chinese food industry should further strengthen its confidence in its culinary culture, proactively research the fundamental science and key technological issues related to traditional Chinese foods and their modernization, and lead the global research direction on traditional Chinese foods,” Sun Baoguo said. He also highlighted new issues and challenges facing the modernization of traditional Chinese foods, such as the public’s confidence in food safety not yet being fully restored, the prominence of food authenticity issues, frequent instances of adulteration and fraud, lagging regulations and standards becoming new bottlenecks hindering food development and innovation, and consumers’ lack of knowledge regarding food production, safety, nutrition, and consumption. He believes that innovation-driven modernization of traditional Chinese foods requires exploring fundamental scientific issues through modern science and technology, transforming the traditional food industry with high-tech solutions, and fostering revolutionary and disruptive technological innovations through interdisciplinary collaboration. At the same time, science popularization must be strengthened to safeguard the modernization of traditional foods. It is the mission of food science and technology professionals to preserve and promote China’s outstanding food culture and bring Chinese cuisine to the world.
Chen Jian, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Honorary Vice Chairman of the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology, and President of Jiangnan University, stated in his report “Chinese Food Science and Technology: From 2020 to 2035” that food synthetic biology, precision nutrition and personalized manufacturing, and intelligent manufacturing of food equipment will become the strategic trends for China’s food industry in the future. Ecological impacts and population growth are among the challenges facing China’s food industry in the future. Future food will serve as a representative symbol of changes in human production and lifestyle. It will address global food supply and quality issues while meeting people’s higher needs.
“Why does eating citrus fruits cause ‘internal heat’?” Pan Siyi, Chairman of the Hubei Provincial Society of Food Science and Technology and a professor at Huazhong Agricultural University, explained the mechanism behind the “heatiness” associated with citrus fruits. He indicated that the sensation of “heatiness” caused by eating citrus is due to water-soluble proteins in the fruit inducing an immune inflammatory response through the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway in the human body. Pan Siyi focused on the nutritional characteristics and efficient utilization of citrus resources, which hold significant local advantages. Citrus fruits are primarily distributed in former revolutionary base areas and impoverished mountainous regions, serving as a vital industry for fruit farmers to improve their livelihoods. As a key driver of industrial poverty alleviation, the area under citrus cultivation continues to expand. He believes that the objectives of efficient citrus utilization primarily include maximizing the use and protection of secondary metabolites, improving their bioavailability, exploring new secondary metabolites, and clarifying their health mechanisms.