How valuable is Xinhui mandarin flesh? Xinhui District, Jiangmen, Guangdong explores it in depth

In early October, early autumn, golden Xinhui mandarins hang all over the branches, the peeled mandarin peels spread across the village squares, and the scent of dried tangerine peel fills the streets and alleys. But behind the fact that Xinhui mandarins are "precious peel, cheap flesh" lies the annual sight of large amounts of discarded mandarin flesh piling up into small mountains in the ditches. The huge environmental pollution and waste of resources are distressing and have become a long-standing thorny problem troubling the industry.

Fermentation for winemaking, extraction of jam, processing of preserved fruit... In recent years, the topic of "deep processing of Xinhui mandarin flesh" has gradually become a hot focus of discussion in the Xinhui dried tangerine peel industry and even in Jiangmen's agriculture. Targeting this "virgin land," agricultural enterprises have been increasing investment one after another, using scientific research and innovation that is "one step ahead" to drive forward the "wheels" of the Xinhui mandarin flesh deep-processing industry. The entrepreneurial and innovative story of Xinhui Huajiaotang is a miniature of this. Last year, Sun Peixiong, head of Xinhui Huajiaotang, also brought the products developed through research to the Jiangmen "Science and Technology Cup" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, where he received recognition and praise from the judges.

Entrepreneurship

Two years of research and development solve the "debittering" problem of juice

"Xinhui mandarins are 'precious peel, cheap flesh,' and few people buy mandarin flesh to eat," and moreover, "once the peel is removed, the mandarin flesh will spoil in less than a day; apart from throwing it away, there is no other way." Speaking of the large amounts of mandarin flesh discarded every year, although mandarin farmers feel heartache and regret, they are also helpless, and calls for turning Xinhui mandarin flesh "from waste into treasure" are rising day by day. At this time, Sun Peixiong, a retired "veteran pharmacist" living in Shenzhen, also turned his gaze toward the deep processing of Xinhui mandarin flesh.

Sun Peixiong, a "man from Inner Mongolia," has devoted himself to the pharmaceutical industry for decades and once served as a technical backbone in many well-known pharmaceutical factories in Guangdong and Fujian. After retiring in 2011 from a pharmaceutical enterprise in Shenzhen, Sun Peixiong came, attracted by its reputation, to "the hometown of dried tangerine peel - Xinhui." "Xinhui dried tangerine peel is a famous Lingnan Chinese medicinal herb. After coming to Xinhui, I saw large amounts of discarded mandarin flesh. Can it really be that mandarin flesh is truly useless? I want to uncover the true value of Xinhui mandarin flesh." With this belief, Sun Peixiong formed a bond with Xinhui mandarins and embarked on the path of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Before Sun Peixiong, some products from the deep processing of Xinhui mandarin flesh had already "appeared on the market," such as Xinhui mandarin jam, Xinhui mandarin wine, and Xinhui mandarin cakes. But compared with the dried tangerine peel industry with an annual output value of 800 million yuan, the deep processing of Xinhui mandarin flesh still has a long way to go, and its market potential remains to be tapped. In 2011, Sun Peixiong came to Xinhui to invest and start a business, established Guanghua Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (the predecessor of Xinhui Huajiaotang), and led a team composed of university students to begin research and development on the deep processing of Xinhui mandarin flesh.

Xinhui mandarin pressed tablets were the first product successfully developed by Sun Peixiong's team. "Different from ordinary fruit candy, this is truly high-tech. The vitamin C contained in one small tablet is equivalent to the content in half a kilogram of Xinhui mandarin flesh." Among these, the development and use of "molecular inclusion" technology solved the "debittering" problem after Xinhui mandarin flesh is juiced.

"After Xinhui mandarin flesh is juiced, limonin is produced, giving the juice a bitter taste. If it cannot be 'debittered,' pressed tablets made with Xinhui mandarin juice as a raw material will carry a bitter taste." How to effectively "debitter"? "After countless studies and experiments, and spending two years, we finally developed 'molecular inclusion' technology and solved the 'debittering' problem, so that the product has both the mouthfeel of candy and the unique flavor of Xinhui mandarins," Sun Peixiong explained.

Innovation

Developing Xinhui mandarin enzymes to retain the "good things"

"I previously worked in pharmaceuticals. Although I had a certain accumulation of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation were not as simple as I thought at the beginning, and the whole journey was full of hardships." The more sweat paid, the richer the rewards. In addition to "molecular inclusion" technology, "low-temperature dispersed negative-pressure airflow heating" is another new technology developed by Sun Peixiong's team, which "can turn concentrated Xinhui mandarin juice into sugar granules and retain more than 99% of the nutrients." Now, this technology has successfully had a patent applied for with the state.

Has research and development on the deep processing of Xinhui mandarin flesh stopped there? Sun Peixiong's answer is "no." After the Xinhui mandarin pressed tablets came out, Sun Peixiong also tried research and development on projects such as Xinhui mandarin electrolyte drinks, Xinhui mandarin vinegar, and Xinhui mandarin wine, and ultimately focused his attention on the research and development of high-value-added Xinhui mandarin enzymes. "This is a product with low input and high output, bringing huge benefits to the broad masses of mandarin farmers and even the entire industry." Among these, the application of "biomimetic technology" is the key to the research and development of Xinhui mandarin enzymes.

"A pharmaceutical factory produces penicillin and retains a single strain. But the enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, limonin, citrus polyphenols, and other nutrients in Xinhui mandarin flesh are all 'good things' that should be retained. If it cannot be sterilized at high temperature and preservatives cannot be added, then how should beneficial bacteria be retained? How should harmful bacteria be eliminated? These 'bottlenecks' all need to be broken through with technology," Sun Peixiong said.

According to testing by a professional institution, Xinhui mandarin juice preserved through fermentation by biomimetic technology contains more than 40% amino acids and 44% protein. Speaking of these test results, Sun Peixiong is full of confidence in the product's development. He said, "Drinks in the past were enzyme-inactivated, but why should such good things be inactivated? I think we should let nature take its course and retain the natural nutrients."

In Chakeng Village, Xinhui, beneath Xiongzi Tower, is the location of Sun Peixiong's factory, surrounded by contiguous Xinhui mandarin planting areas. Walking into the processing factory, 75 tall Xinhui mandarin flesh fermentation tanks are arranged within, and not far away is a fully enclosed, automated production line. "Each fermentation tank produces 10 tons of Xinhui mandarin stock liquid. Each ton of stock liquid requires 650 kilograms of flesh, and the benefit reaches 500,000 yuan." Now, five years after starting the business, Xinhui mandarin enzymes have been successfully developed, and the 8 Xinhui mandarin enzyme products launched by Sun Peixiong's team have also "appeared on the market." These innovations and explorations are bringing more opportunities and confidence to the development of the Xinhui mandarin flesh deep-processing industry.