China has in recent years adopted a mix of methods to reduce its reliance on imported soybeans, a crucial raw material for making animal feed, such as through crop rotation and the deployment of higher-yield varieties.
近年来,中国采取了多种方法来减少对进口大豆的依赖,例如通过轮作和部署高产品种。进口大豆是制造动物饲料的关键原材料。
However, a group of scientists in Tianjin have taken a different approach. They have set their attention on protein biosynthesis using methanol as a raw material, where progress has stalled for decades due to the hefty costs.
然而,天津的一组科学家采取了不同的方法。他们将注意力集中在以甲醇为原料的蛋白质生物合成上,由于成本高昂,这方面的进展已经停滞了几十年。
A breakthrough could potentially help wean China off its reliance on proteins derived from soybeans.
这一突破可能有助于中国摆脱对大豆蛋白的依赖。
The researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, led by Wu Xin, recently announced a commercially viable approach to biosynthesize protein that can be used in making animal feed.
由吴昕领导的中国科学院天津工业生物技术研究所的研究人员最近宣布了一种商业上可行的生物合成蛋白质的方法,该方法可用于制造动物饲料。
Their findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts on Nov 17.
他们的研究结果于11月17日发表在同行评审期刊《生物燃料和生物产品的生物技术》上。
According to the paper, the approach involves industrial fermentation using methanol, which can be cheaply derived from coal, as raw material.
根据这篇论文,这种方法包括使用甲醇作为原料进行工业发酵,甲醇可以廉价地从煤炭中提取。
This engineering raised the conversion rate of methanol to protein to 92 percent, making this protein production method very attractive economically, the paper said.
该论文称,这项工程将甲醇转化为蛋白质的转化率提高到92%,使这种蛋白质生产方法在经济上非常有吸引力。
These organisms also contain a complete amino acid profile, vitamins, inorganic salts, fats and carbohydrates, allowing them to partially replace fishmeal, soybeans, meat and skimmed milk powder in various applications.
这些生物体还含有完整的氨基酸、维生素、无机盐、脂肪和碳水化合物,使它们能够在各种应用中部分取代鱼粉、大豆、肉类和脱脂奶粉。
China currently imports around 100 million metric tons of soybeans annually, mostly from Brazil and the United States.
中国目前每年进口约1亿吨大豆,主要来自巴西和美国。
Despite a national drive to ramp up domestic production in recent years due to vulnerable global supply chains, the country currently produces just around one-fifth of its needs.
尽管近年来由于全球供应链脆弱,国家努力提高国内产量,但该国目前的产量仅为其需求的五分之一左右。
In a major move to bolster domestic production, the Chinese government last year expanded the commercial use of genetic modification technologies to staple food crops including soybeans. Such technologies have long been restricted to cotton and papaya in the nation.
作为加强国内生产的一项重大举措,中国政府去年将基因改造技术的商业用途扩大到包括大豆在内的主要粮食作物。长期以来,这种技术在中国仅限于棉花和木瓜。