Lead
Food is the lifeblood of human survival, and starch is the key ingredient in food that gives human energy.
In 2021, Chinese scientists achieved the artificial synthesis from carbon dioxide to starch for the first time, and the emergence of this technology will greatly improve the production efficiency of starch, which is expected to solve the problems of global famine and food shortage, and provide a new guarantee for the continuation of human civilization.
On November 25, 2021, the research team of the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Qingdao University of Science and Technology jointly won the special prize of the 17th Natural Science Award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the research and development of microbial carbon dioxide to starch and its key technologies.
This is also the first time that a scientific research project in the field of biology has won the highest award of the Natural Science Award, which also reflects the leading position of the mainland in the field of biotechnology.
1. Carbon dioxide is converted into starch.
Starch is a kind of polymer carbohydrate compound in plants, and it is also an energy storage substance in plants.
The plant body is able to convert light energy into chemical energy, which is then converted into biosynthetic substances, including starch, which is a key component of plant energy.
Starch can provide a lot of energy for the human body, and starch is also the main source of energy necessary for the human body, and the human body can consume and convert energy in the body after ingesting starch, which can provide the necessary energy support for the human body.
At the same time, the plant body can also use starch to provide energy for itself, so that the plant body can decompose starch at night or when the energy is low to obtain energy.
In plants, starch is made up of two polysaccharides, one branched and the other straight.
Branched chains are made up of glucose, while straight chains are made up of glucose and condensates of glucose.
There is a difference in the proportion of these two polysaccharides, and the proportion of linear and branched-chain polysaccharides in different plant bodies is different, so that the types and composition of starch are different.
The research results of the award-winning team are to artificially synthesize starch on the basis of plant bodies.
The production of starch is very important for humans, especially in food processing and production, where starch is a very important raw material.
However, at present, the way that human beings can obtain starch is nothing more than through the planting and processing of corn, wheat, rice and other grains, so as to obtain raw starch, and then process and transform it into various starch products required by human beings.
This kind of production method is not efficient enough, but also occupies a lot of farmland resources, and will also lead to a shortage of food, and the production is not safe and green enough.
Therefore, in order to improve the production efficiency of starch, research has been carried out for a long time, and many scientific research teams have been conducting research before this, but no results have been achieved.
In 2021, Chinese scientists achieved the first artificial synthesis from carbon dioxide to starch, and the production efficiency of this technology is 8.5 times higher than that of traditional starch production.
The development of this technology can convert carbon dioxide into starch and also collect greenhouse gases, which can not only solve the problem of greenhouse gas emissions, but also produce a large amount of starch, and also reduce the area of farmland, which can also protect the environment and ecology, and also free up more space for farmland to produce more food.
Prior to this, the research on artificial starch was only in the laboratory stage and had not yet been commercialized, so it will take a certain amount of time and continuous improvement of the technology to be produced on a large scale.
But in any case, the emergence of this technology provides more guarantees for food production and the continuation of human civilization, which is a very important scientific research achievement.
2. From carbon dioxide to starch.
The research results of this technology were jointly obtained by the research team of the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the research team of Qingdao University of Science and Technology.
The research team for this technology was led by researcher Han Yanming from the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Professor Xu Dewei from Qingdao University of Science and Technology.
Prof. Han Yanming is an expert in the field of microbiology in mainland China, and the director of the institute is an important scientific research institution for microbial research, and the research team of researcher Han Yanming is also an important force in the field of microbiology in mainland China.
The research of this technology began in 2008, and the research team finally developed a complete research plan after 13 years, and then through two years of commercial production transformation of this technology, the release of technical results was carried out this time.
Their technology is to convert carbon dioxide into starch, which is then processed through the fermentation of fungi to obtain various starch products required by humans.
The research of this technology involves many fields such as biology, chemistry, and engineering, and the successful development of this technology requires the cooperation and concerted efforts of researchers in multiple fields to achieve success.
3. Application field.
The research results of this technology are expected to be widely used in future production, not only in food processing and production, but also in medical, industrial, construction and other fields.
In food processing, starch has a very wide range of applications and can be used to make various foods, such as rice noodles, noodles, biscuits, candies, etc.
In the medical field, starch can also be used to make excipients for drugs, and can also be used to make bioglue, biofilm and other substances for biological treatment and bioremediation.
In the industrial field, starch has a very wide range of applications, which can be used to make glue, adhesives, plastics, paper and other materials, and can also be used to make biodiesel.
In the field of construction, starch can also be used to make starch paper, starch mud, etc., for architectural decoration and other aspects.
In addition, there are some high-tech fields, starch also has a very wide range of applications, such as in the aerospace field, starch can be used as an important raw material for aerospace food, and can also be used to make fuel.
In addition, there are some special fibers, starch also has a wide range of applications, such as synthetic fibers, high-strength fibers, etc., can be used to produce, it can be said that the application field of starch is very wide.
Therefore, it can be said that the research on synthetic starch will have a very important impact on the future development of human beings, and the emergence of this technology will greatly enrich human production technology and production methods, which is a research result of great practical value.
4. Artificial rice.
In 2021, the technology was also used to make artificial rice, which is the first time that the mainland research team has used artificial starch technology to make artificial rice, which is also the first time it has been used in food processing and production.
Made from synthetic starch and rice bran, this batch of artificial rice has the same nutrients and taste as traditional rice, and its production rate is 3-4 times faster than ordinary rice, which can greatly alleviate people's demand for rice, and at the same time provide more rice for people, which is expected to improve people's food security.
In July 2021, this batch of artificial rice was produced in Hefei City, Anhui Province, China, and this batch of artificial rice was welcomed by relevant government departments and citizens, and was also widely praised.
In the production process, the production efficiency of this batch of artificial rice is 3-4 times that of ordinary rice, because in the production process, there is no need to go through planting and harvesting, so its production efficiency is very high.
Therefore, the emergence of artificial rice may change the traditional rice production method, so that it can also free up more space for farmland to grow other foods, which can also increase the output of other foods, and can also improve the diversification of food, which is of great significance for solving the problem of food security on the mainland.
In the production of this batch of artificial rice, its production efficiency is 3-4 times that of ordinary rice, and its production process can also convert carbon dioxide, which can also play a role in reducing emissions, which is a very environmentally friendly and green scientific research achievement.
5. How is it different from natural starch.
Artificial starch and natural starch are the same in molecular structure, and the ratio of straight and branched chains is also the same, so artificial starch and natural starch are also the same in terms of nutritional value.
The molecular structure of artificial starch and natural starch is the same, the difference is that artificial starch is synthesized artificially, and its production efficiency is 8.5 times higher than that of natural starch.
Natural starch is synthesized by photosynthesis in plants, which is a chemical reaction in nature that is not very efficient and is also affected by environmental factors such as temperature and light, so it is not very efficient.
In addition, there are some farmland resources, in order to obtain natural starch, you need to grow food, which will also occupy a large amount of farmland resources, will also lead to a shortage of food, and will also have an impact on the ecological environment.
Artificial starch is different, its production process does not need to go through planting and harvesting, etc., and will not be affected by the external environment, so the production efficiency is very high, which is the biggest difference between artificial starch and natural starch.
6. Future development.
The study of artificial starch is very important for the mainland, because the continent is a large population and the population is also very large, so the demand for food is also very large, so food security is very important for the continent.
The emergence of artificial starch is expected to change the way of grain production, improve production efficiency, and at the same time provide more grain for the mainland, which can also provide food security for the mainland.
The emergence of artificial starch is also expected to solve the problems of global famine and food shortage, and provide a new guarantee for the continuation of human civilization.
At the same time, artificial starch also has an important application in the aerospace field, because starch can be used as an important raw material for aerospace food, so artificial starch is expected to become a key technology for interstellar navigation in the future.
epilogue
The research on artificial starch is achieved with the joint efforts of mainland researchers, and the research of this technology is very important for the mainland, and it also provides more development opportunities for mankind.
Despite its potential, artificial starch still needs to be commercially produced over many years, and the technology needs to be refined to ensure its viability in terms of food safety and environmental sustainability.