The ocean area accounts for about 71% of the earth’s surface area, and 80% of the species on the earth live in the ocean. There are more than 500,000 species of animals and more than 13,000 species of plants growing in the ocean. Marine biological resources include animal resources, plant resources, microorganisms, and virus resources, but the in-depth development and high-value utilization of marine biological resources have not been done enough.
1 Marine animal resources
Different growth environments determine the difference in the composition of the main active substances between marine organisms and terrestrial organisms. Fish, shellfish, shrimp, crab, and other biological proteins in the ocean are rich in 9 kinds of amino acids necessary for the human body, which have higher nutritional value than terrestrial animals. Marine animals are also sources of peptides such as oyster peptides, sea cucumber peptides, and shrimp peptides. Marine animals are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, and some animals such as sea cucumbers can also extract polysaccharides that are helpful to the human body.
In March 2021, China has approved 17,774 domestic health foods and 854 imported health foods. Among them, there are 1847 marine aquatic health products, accounting for 9.92% of the total number. The marine animal resources used in functional foods are mainly concentrated in DHA, EPA, astaxanthin, carotene, etc. From the data point of view, there is still a lot of room for improvement in the development and utilization of marine biological resources.
2 Marine plant resources
In 1836, Harvey was mainly divided into brown algae, red algae, green algae, and diatoms based on the color of algae. In modern times, it is divided into 12 gates, of which nearly one hundred are edible. Cyanophyta such as spirulina and so on. Rhodophyta such as laver, asparagus, gelidium, etc.; brown algae, such as kelp, hijiki, and so on. Chlorella, such as Enteromorpha, Ulva, etc. The main active substances are seaweed polysaccharides with high molecular weight and low bioavailability, such as algin, agar, carrageenan, etc.; there are also seaweed oligosaccharides that are prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis and have strong biological activity, and are easy to absorb.
3 Marine microbial resources
The marine environment is complex and changeable. The special ecological environment such as high salinity, high pressure, low temperature, low nutrition, and no light makes marine microorganisms diverse in species, genetic composition, and ecological functions. Due to genetic and metabolic characteristics, and long-term environmental adaptability, marine microorganisms produce active substances with novel structures and specific activities, which are convenient for strain breeding, large-scale fermentation, and industrial production. It has the sustainable use of resources.
Marine microbial resource products can be divided into three categories: marine drugs, enzymes, and new resource foods. Among them, cephalosporins derived from fungi, cytarabine derived from sponges, conotoxin, tetrodotoxin, etc. are all typical marine drugs. Enzymes include alkaline enzymes such as protease and lipase commonly used in detergents, polysaccharide degrading enzymes such as chitosanase, agarase, alginase, carrageenase, cellulase, low-temperature enzymes, and high-temperature resistance found in deep-sea craters DNA polymerase, etc. Dunaliella (carotene), Schizochytrium (DHA), Haematococcus pluvialis (astaxanthin), Chlorella pyrenoidosa, Euglena, and Nostoc globosa (protein) are all new resource foods.
4 Seek treasure deeper into the sea
Facing the treasure house of abundant marine life, a company in Fujian, China, and the Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, jointly established a marine functional food joint laboratory. They are preparing for the production of marine-derived products.
Hijiki is a kind of food of the marine plant brown algae Sargassum genus. Its main production areas are in Fujian and Zhejiang. It has poor taste, has not been effectively developed, and is in a state of low-value utilization. The utilization rate of hijiki in the natural state is low, and it is also easy to cause secondary pollution of seawater. This Fujian company digs a lot of value in this unpalatable food. The water extract of hijiki can be applied to the development direction of immune products. The algae residue after water extraction can also be crushed, enzyme-inactivated, and dried to obtain soluble dietary fiber and insoluble dietary fiber. Among them, soluble dietary fiber can inspire the development of hypoglycemic and hepatoprotective products. Insoluble dietary fiber can be used in the direction of laxatives.
Regarding the application of hijiki in health products, the company once demonstrated the Sargassum Beverage and Roselle Grape Jelly at the exhibition. The sargassum polysaccharide produced by the seaweed plant Sargassum after water extraction is suitable for the development of immunity, liver health, and intestinal health-related products.
Oysters can be described as “frequent visitors” on the table in coastal areas. People indulge in the deliciousness of oysters while passing on their “efficacy” by word of mouth. However, although oysters are rich in nutrients, oyster protein is a macromolecular protein that is not easily digested and absorbed by the human body. The company enzymatically hydrolyzes large molecules of oyster protein into small molecules of oyster peptides and retains more than 18 kinds of amino acids, nucleic acids, vitamins, trace elements, and taurine in oysters, which are more easily absorbed by the body.
Regarding the application of oysters in health products, the company has launched related products based on Kampo ingredients and combined with the nutritional ingredients of oyster peptides through independent research and development, scientific matching, and experimental verification. It makes drinking more emotional and healthier.
Chlorella pyrenoidosa is a photoautotrophic, heterotrophic, single-celled green algae. Chlorella pyrenoidosa has high protein content and rich nutritional value. Cells are rich in protein, fatty acids, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, etc. The Ministry of Health Announcement No. 19 of 2012 announced that it is a new resource for food.
