Good News! Hainan Huayan Has Been Granted a New National Invention Patent for Egg Yolk Bioactive Peptides

Recently, good news came from the National Intellectual Property Administration: the patent application titled An Egg Yolk-derived Bioactive Peptide for Promoting Bone Growth and Its Preparation Method, jointly filed by Hainan Huayan Collagen Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Hainan Huayan) and Ocean University of China, has been reviewed and approved, and officially granted the patent right!

As a National High-tech Enterprise, one of Hainan’s first batch of high-tech “Gazelle Enterprises”, a National Intellectual Property Advantage Enterprise, and winner of the First Prize of Hainan Provincial Technological Invention Award, Hainan Huayan has undertaken 17 scientific research projects at national, provincial, municipal and district levels. The company holds more than 120 authorized patents, established over 80 enterprise standards, built more than ten complete product systems, and published multiple high-level SCI academic papers for the industry.

Bone health has long become a priority for national public health prevention and control. A series of policies have clarified pathways and provided safeguards for the development of the bone health sector. The Healthy China 2030 Plan Outline released in 2016 explicitly states that screening and intervention for chronic diseases such as osteoporosis shall be strengthened, incorporating bone health into the comprehensive prevention and control system for chronic diseases. The Medium and Long-term Plan for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases in China (2017–2025) issued in 2017 further identifies bone health as a key field in chronic disease prevention and management, emphasizing full-population and whole-life-cycle bone health management.

With the gradual implementation of the Healthy China 2030 Plan Outline, the special initiative of “Three Reductions and Three Healths” (reducing salt, oil and sugar intake; promoting oral health, healthy weight and healthy bones) has become a core measure for national health management. As a vital component, healthy bones has entered a golden era of development, both from the perspective of national strategy and public demand.

China faces severe challenges in bone health with a large population suffering from low bone mass across all age groups. Data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the prevalence of low bone mass among people aged 4 and above in China reaches 40.9%, and the figure rises to 47.5% for those aged 60 and above. The prevalence of osteoporosis among people over 50 is 19.2%, while the rate exceeds 50% for women aged 65 and above. Fragility fractures have become a major cause of disability and mortality among middle-aged and elderly populations.

Beyond middle-aged and elderly groups, children and adolescents, sports enthusiasts, pregnant and lactating women are also key target groups for bone health care. Children and adolescents are in a critical period of skeletal development, and the health of bones and joints directly affects their growth. Athletes exposed to intensive training are prone to stress bone injuries and require adequate bone and joint nutrition to boost bone mineral density. Pregnant women and people with abnormal weight are susceptible to osteoporosis due to physiological characteristics, creating urgent demand for bone health products.

Patent Overview

Small-molecule peptides derived from egg yolk contain components including low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, egg yolk globulin and phosvitin. In recent years, in vivo and in vitro studies have gradually revealed the potential bioactivity and health-promoting functions of egg yolk small-molecule peptides.

Watanabe Kazuya, Song Meiyu, Sanai Yusuke, et al.[1] confirmed through animal and cell experiments that these peptides can promote bone formation and inhibit bone resorption. Further research on middle-aged women prone to osteoporosis found that long-term intake of hydrolyzed egg yolk powder effectively suppresses bone resorption markers and slows the decline of bone mineral density. The results prove that hydrolyzed egg yolk powder delivers favorable effects on improving human bone metabolism.

Calcium and zinc are essential nutrients playing critical roles in many physiological processes, especially in bone health, growth, development and immune function. Calcium and zinc have independent absorption transport mechanisms; their absorption does not interfere with each other within the range of high-calcium and low-zinc ratios. Compared with single-mineral chelates, calcium-zinc dual-mineral chelates offer notable advantages. This system supplements two essential minerals simultaneously, enhances bioavailability through elemental synergies and achieves more systematic nutritional intervention[2].

The invention falls within the technical field of bioactive peptides. It discloses an egg yolk-derived bioactive peptide for promoting bone growth and its preparation method. Fractional enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation are adopted to produce low-molecular-weight bioactive peptides with high absorbability. During fermentation, calcium ions and zinc ions are added so that the bioactive peptides chelate with metal ions to facilitate growth and bone development.

Scientific and Technological Innovation

Founded in 2005, Hainan Huayan has been deeply engaged in the field of small-molecule bioactive peptides for 21 years. The company consistently builds core competitiveness through independent technological innovation. It now has a full-spectrum production team and a professional R&D workforce, forming the backbone for technological innovation, product innovation, production and management. The company actively leverages the technological research strengths of universities and strives to develop into a national high-tech enterprise integrating innovation, scientific research and production.

In collaboration with more than ten research institutions including Australia-China (Hainan) Biotechnology Research Institute Co., Ltd., Ocean University of China, the Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources and Hainan University, Hainan Huayan has built the Hainan Provincial Bio-peptide Engineering Technology Research Center and a pilot R&D base covering nearly 3,000 square meters. A joint laboratory for bioactive peptides and dedicated enzymes has been established jointly with Ocean University of China. The company has been approved by the Hainan Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology to build the first batch of provincial manufacturing innovation centers — the Hainan Joint Innovation Center for Bioactive Peptides and Enzyme Engineering. Its technical center has been recognized by the Hainan Provincial Development and Reform Commission as Hainan Provincial Enterprise Technology Center. Hainan Huayan Postdoctoral Research Workstation has also been approved by the Hainan Provincial Bureau of Talent Affairs.

Over 85% of its R&D team hold master’s degrees or above, including 8 professors and PhD holders and 6 high-level provincial talents. Hainan Huayan has undertaken 17 national, provincial and municipal R&D projects in recent years and obtained 14 phased or finalized research outcomes.

Adhering to the mission of “Rooted in Hainan, Serving the Globe”, Hainan Huayan will continue to implement the development strategy of scientific research innovation and product leadership, promote the commercialization of research achievements, realize high added value of scientific and technological outputs, continuously strengthen corporate core competitiveness, and boost the high-end development of China’s domestic bio-peptide industry!

References

[1] Watanabe K, Song M, Sanai Y, et al. Egg yolk-derived bone metabolism-improving substance — Development of hydrolyzed egg yolk powder[J]. China Food Additives, 2011,(01):187-190.

[2] Rongrong Jin, Hao Yu, Zhe Liu, Xiaowei Zhang, Yang Qu. Design and characterization of β-cyclodextrin-encapsulated walnut peptide-calcium-zinc chelates: physical characteristics, bitterness masking, stability, and sustained release[J]. Food Chemistry, Volume 506,2026,148142,ISSN 0308-8146.