Recently, the 2024 Hainan Provincial Science and Technology Award results were officially announced. The project “Intelligent Design of Bioactive Peptides and Creation of Peptide Self-Assembly Delivery Systems with Functional Food Applications,” developed by Hainan Huayan Collagen Technology Co., Ltd. as the primary implementing unit, was awarded the First Prize of the Hainan Provincial Science and Technology Award—Technology Invention Award, in recognition of its outstanding technological innovation and industrial value.

This honor not only signifies high recognition of Hainan Huayan’s capabilities and innovative prowess but also celebrates the company’s dedication to technological innovation and achievement commercialization. Notably, the 2024 Hainan Provincial Science and Technology Awards followed revised implementation rules, with nominated projects increasing by 30% year-on-year and the award ratio controlled below 35%—approximately 10 percentage points lower than before—making the awards more competitive and valuable.

Project Overview

Food-derived bioactive peptides, known for their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antihypertensive, and glucolipid metabolism-regulating functions, have become key raw materials in China’s functional food industry. However, the structure-activity relationship between their composition and functions remains unclear. Furthermore, many bioactive peptides possess amphiphilic properties, enabling them to encapsulate and deliver functional factors via molecular self-assembly. Yet, the mechanisms underlying such dual-effect synergistic peptide delivery systems and their absorption-promoting effects are not well understood, limiting their health efficacy. Through industry-academia-research collaboration, this project addressed these scientific challenges—from elucidating molecular mechanisms (pharmacophore modeling, self-assembly theory, mucus penetration models) to achieving key technological breakthroughs (targeted enzymatic cleavage, nanocarrier construction, synergistic colloidal absorption). It advanced intelligent design and precise preparation technologies for bioactive peptides, as well as stabilization and gut-targeted delivery technologies for insoluble functional factors. Based on these platforms, multiple bioactive peptide products—such as tilapia collagen peptide, egg white-derived active peptide, and chicken sternal cartilage peptide—have been commercialized by Hainan Huayan and exported to countries including the United States and Japan, driving the industrialization of peptide-based functional foods.

R&D Capabilities
Behind this honor lies Hainan Huayan’s relentless pursuit of and sustained investment in technological R&D. Over the years, the company has focused on small-molecule peptide technology, overcoming multiple core technical challenges and achieving a series of proprietary scientific and technological results. Currently, Hainan Huayan operates the Hainan Provincial Bio-Peptide Engineering Technology Research Center and a pilot R&D base spanning nearly 3,000 square meters, collaborating with over ten research institutions such as the Sino-Australia (Hainan) Biotechnology Research Institute, Ocean University of China, and Hainan University. The company has jointly established a Bio-Peptide and Specialty Enzyme Laboratory with Ocean University of China; been approved to build the first provincial-level manufacturing innovation center—the Hainan Provincial Bioactive Peptide and Enzyme Engineering Joint Innovation Center; recognized as a provincial enterprise technology center; and authorized to establish a postdoctoral research workstation.

Hainan Huayan’s innovations have not only filled gaps in domestic functional peptide products but also elevated industry market potential, injecting strong momentum into the small-molecule peptide sector for innovation, upgrading, and industrial development.

About Hainan Huayan
Since its founding in 2005, Hainan Huayan has been dedicated to the small-molecule peptide field for 21 years, consistently aligning with national development strategies and leveraging technological innovation as its core engine to advance new quality productivity. Through continuous breakthroughs, the company has earned multiple provincial and municipal R&D platform recognitions and industry honors, establishing itself as an innovative benchmark in the small-molecule peptide industry. Winning the First Prize of the Hainan Provincial Technology Invention Award not only acknowledges Hainan Huayan’s past technological积累 and innovation practices but also encourages and sets higher expectations for its future development.

Guided by its mission of “rooted in Hainan, serving the world,” Hainan Huayan will continue to uphold a strategy of scientific innovation and product leadership. By leveraging its enterprise R&D centers and key laboratories established with partners such as the Sino-Australia (Hainan) Biotechnology Research Institute, Ocean University of China, and Hainan University, the company will deepen industry-academia-research integration, tackle more core technological challenges, promote the translation of high-level scientific achievements into practical productivity, enhance the added value of technological outcomes, continuously strengthen its core competitiveness, and contribute to the high-end development of the bio-peptide industry.