As a common food raw material, starch is often only given an ordinary value in the eyes of the public, and a few yuan a pound does not attract too much attention. However, for Professor Jin Zhengyu, who has been engaged in starch deep processing research for nearly 40 years, the value of starch should never be simply defined as ordinary. He is committed to the development of innovative high value-added starch derivatives processing technology to achieve the transformation of traditional industries and inject new vitality into starch. In 2023, Professor Jin Zhengyu was successfully elected as an academician of Jiangnan University, becoming the only academician in Wuxi, and his efforts for half of his life were recognized.
With the development of science and technology, starch has been widely used as a multifunctional material. Professor Jin Zhengyu believes that starch can be used to replace plastics and develop environmentally friendly packaging materials; Healthy staple foods can be made to meet the dietary needs of diabetics; It can also develop high value-added by-products to achieve the best value sales of products. His team has innovatively developed new theories and methods for the functional regulation and utilization of dextrin crystallization by using advanced technology, created a new technology for the processing of starch derivatives with high added value, and developed green and environmentally friendly new starch-based products. The team's efforts have brought fruitful academic results, supported by more than 50 national scientific research projects, and published more than 500 high-level SCIs.
Professor Jin Zhengyu attaches great importance to cooperation with enterprises and helps them carry out technological innovation. For example, he has cooperated with Longjun Environmental Protection and other enterprises to develop a new processing technology for starchy degradable food packaging materials, which can replace 70% of plastics, and has established 7 production lines in China, with an annual output of 200,000 tons. Professor Jin Zhengyu hopes to serve the industry on a larger platform and inject impetus into the high-quality development of enterprises.
Professor Jin's team not only collaborates with businesses, but also with other institutions to promote the development of technology-enabled fields. They cooperated with Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute to establish the Special Medical Food Research Institute, accumulating core patented technologies from the creation of special medical food to industrial production, and cultivating high-tech enterprises. The team also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Xiaogang Village, Fengyang County, Anhui Province to jointly build the Xiaogang Health Food Research Institute and promote the development of the local health food industry in the direction of intensive processing.
Professor Jin Zhengyu believes that food technology can give new life to the "old industry". He pointed out that in response to the challenges of aging, solutions should be found from the perspective of science and technology to give full play to the role of nutrition in healthy aging. His team is developing high-value-added starch functional foods to provide healthier and more convenient food options for the elderly. At the same time, he also hopes to promote rural revitalization by promoting the development of the agricultural industry. He believes that scientific and technological innovation can make agricultural products have higher added value, increase farmers' incomes, and inject new impetus into rural economic development.
Professor Jin Zhengyu's scientific research achievements not only have a high influence in the academic community, but also play a positive role in promoting local economic development. His team actively cooperates with domestic and foreign enterprises to transform scientific and technological achievements into actual productivity. For example, they cooperated with Hengli Group to develop a "starch beating technology", which successfully realized the treatment and resource utilization of coal mine water treatment wastewater, and this technology has been promoted and applied nationwide.
In addition, Professor Jin Zhengyu is also committed to providing entrepreneurs with a platform for innovation and entrepreneurship. He participated in the establishment of the industry-university-research cooperation base of Jiangnan University, which provides opportunities for students and researchers to practice innovation. He hopes that by cultivating more innovative talents, scientific and technological innovation will play a greater role in the social economy.
Professor Jin Zhengyu's pursuit of scientific and technological innovation is not only limited to academic research, but also actively participates in social welfare undertakings and fulfills social responsibilities. He is the director of the organizing committee of the "China Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition (Jiangsu)", which provides a stage for young people to show their talents. He is also committed to inheriting the academic culture in the field of starch research, serving as a director of the Chinese Starch Society and promoting academic exchanges and cooperation.
In general, Professor Jin Zhengyu is a scientist who has made important achievements in the field of starch research, and he has made important contributions to the country's economic development and the improvement of people's lives by promoting the innovation and development of the starch industry, promoting the integration of science and technology and economy.