On the morning of November 3, the 2020 National Science and Technology Award Conference was held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

The project of “Targeted Design of Starch Structure and Development of Its Products” led by Professor Gu Zhengbiao won the second prize of the National Technical Invention Award, while the project of “Key Upgraded Manufacturing Technologies of Special Oils and Fats for Food Industry and Its Industrialization” led by Professor Liu Yuanfa won the second prize of the National Scientific and Technological Progress Award.

Based on green and renewable starch resources, the project of “Targeted Design of Starch Structure and Development of Its Products”, aims to leverage the targeted design of starch’s molecular structure and its functions of adjusting digestibility, releasing functional factor, producing probiotics and increasing adhesion, so as to develop new starch products such as fast-digesting starchy energy gel, highly-branched and slow-digesting starch, conditioners for toiletries, thermosetting starch adhesives, and amylose-oligosaccharides, all of which are widely applied in the sectors of foods, adhesives and toiletries. It greatly improved the added value of starchy agricultural products and their quality level in the application field, effectively promoted the transformation and upgrading of related industries, well served people’s needs for a better life and facilitated the construction and development of a Healthy China Initiative.

Centered on the research on the trans fatty acids of special oils and fats, the project of “Key Upgraded Manufacturing Technologies of Special Oils and Fats for Food Industry and Its Industrialization”, took the lead in domestic research and development related to the fields of basic theories, processing technologies and core equipment design and manufacturing about non-hydrogenated oils and fats. It helped improve the basic theoretical system of non-hydrogenated special oils and fats, overcome the core processing technical problems, develop key equipment with independent intellectual property rights, realize the innovative manufacturing of a series of non-hydrogenated special oils and fats, and formulate a series of relevant national and industrial standards, all of which promoted the upgrading and increased the nutritional level of relevant processed food industry in an all-round way and contributed to the protection of people’s health and the promotion of a Healthy China Initiative.

During the “13th Five-Year Plan” period (2016-2020), Jiangnan University has repeatedly achieved good results in obtaining high-level scientific and technological awards. As the first author unit, it won, in total, 6 National Scientific and Technological Progress Awards and National Technological Invention Awards, 4 first prizes for outstanding scientific research achievements of Chinese universities and colleges, and 4 first prizes for Jiangsu Provincial Science and Technology Award.

Professor Gu Zhengbiao

Professor Gu Zhengbiao and his team

Professor Liu Yuanfa

Professor Liu Yuanfa and his team