June 6th is the 29th National Eye Care Day, and this year's theme is "Pay attention to universal eye health". In 2022, the National Health and Family Planning Commission issued the "14th Five Year Plan for National Eye Health (2021-2025)". The planning from the national level not only shows us the severe situation of national eye health, but also makes us realize the urgent need for eye health among the Chinese people.
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Troubled hundreds of millions of Chinese people, eye care has become a strong demand
Our country is currently facing very serious eye health problems. The White Paper on Chinese Eye Health shows that the number of people with myopia in China is 660 million, and the incidence rate of myopia in the national population is 47.1%. According to statistics from the National Health Commission, the overall myopia rate among children and adolescents in China in 2022 was 51.9%. In the workplace, 82% of professionals have experienced eye dryness, with about 70% experiencing eye soreness and pain, and nearly half experiencing blurred vision due to excessive eye use. In addition, the prevalence of eye diseases and visual impairment increases with age. Affected by a combination of population growth and aging, the total number of people suffering from eye diseases and visual impairment has significantly increased. According to the 2023 China presbyopia population insight report, 56.9% of the population aged 35 and above in China have presbyopia problems, reaching 390 million people. With the popularization of devices such as computers, televisions, and mobile phones, eye health issues have become increasingly severe. According to Magic Mirror Insight's 2024 Q1 Consumer New Potential White Paper, users ranked first in the discussion of eye health topics on social media platforms, with a year-on-year growth of 50.9%. This trend has also driven consumer demand for eye care products, with online eye care market product sales increasing by 20.5% year-on-year in Q1 2024. Among them, sales of gummie products surged by 89.7%, while capsule products increased by 3.4%. Among the dimensions of eye care products that consumers are concerned about, their effects such as relieving eye discomfort and improving daily eyesight are the most noteworthy, accounting for 39.5%. According to Business Research Insights, the global eye care product market size in 2021 was $1.6 billion, and it is expected to reach $2.8685 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.45% during the forecast period. Consumers are using Dietary supplements to help improve their eye problems and choosing products from natural ingredients to avoid using medication.
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Popular ingredients: the mainstream power behind eye protection
At present, the main Vitamin raw material commonly used to alleviate visual fatigue is vitamin A. Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is involved in visual light transduction and is a key component of photopigment, which is the first molecule to convert photons into electrical signals. Carotenoids represented by lutein and zeaxanthin are also commonly used raw materials in the field of eye protection. Lutein is the main pigment in the macular area of the human retina, and its main physiological function for the eyes is to act as an antioxidant and photoprotector, which can promote the regeneration of visual purple in retinal cells and protect vision; Consuming zeaxanthin can increase macular pigment, enhance the ability of the macular area to resist harmful substances and light damage, and prevent and slow down age-related macular degeneration. Another type of hot eye care raw materials is polyphenolic compounds represented by anthocyanins, commonly sourced from blueberries/blueberries, blackcurrants, black goji berries, and grape seeds. Anthocyanins are formed by connecting anthocyanins with one or more carbohydrate substances through glycosidic bonds. Their ability to scavenge free radicals is 20 times that of vitamin C and 50 times that of vitamin E. They can reduce oxidative damage to retinal cells caused by light, strengthen the elasticity of ocular microvasculature, promote blood circulation, and maintain normal eye pressure. They are truly effective ingredients in protecting the eyes.
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Blueberry Anthocyanins: Opening a New Era of Eye Protection
Anthocyanins, as water-soluble plant pigments, are widely distributed in many vegetables and fruits, such as various berries, gooseberries, grapes, and some tropical fruits, as well as leafy vegetables, grains, roots, and tubers ranging from red to purple. The types of anthocyanins in ordinary blueberries usually do not exceed 13, while European blueberries contain 15 types of anthocyanins. The medicinal standard for European blueberry extracts is set to have an anthocyanin content of 36% in the European Pharmacopoeia. 1) The first approved anthocyanin opens up a new mechanism for eye protection In Announcement No. 3 of 2023 issued by the National Health Commission, blueberry anthocyanins were approved as the first anthocyanins allowed to be used as food ingredients in China. Blueberry anthocyanins were declared by Zhejiang Lanmei Co., Ltd. The successful declaration of this raw material marks an important step in the field of eye care in China. This blueberry anthocyanin is a powdery substance refined from the fruit of blueberries (Vaccinium corvmbosum L.) in the family Rhododendron, through processes such as enzymatic hydrolysis, water extraction, purification, concentration, and drying. Unlike other sources of anthocyanins, the content of anthocyanins in "Blue Beauty 1" blueberries is 5-8 times higher than that of ordinary blueberries, and it contains 15 complete anthocyanin components with a purity of over 40%, far exceeding the medicinal benchmark of 36% in the European Pharmacopoeia, breaking the limitations of biological properties and pioneering the extraction of effective blueberry anthocyanins from blueberries. The eye protection effect of blueberry anthocyanins is closely related to their excellent antioxidant properties, which is different from the mechanism of lutein. Lutein mainly plays a role in the macular area, while blueberry anthocyanins provide comprehensive protection for the eyes by extensively clearing free radicals. Specifically, blueberry anthocyanins can effectively reduce the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), while also helping to enhance the activity of key antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), further strengthening the defense mechanism of the eyes. It is worth noting that the accumulation of blueberry anthocyanins in the body is a long-term process that requires continuous intake to achieve optimal eye protection. In addition, blueberry anthocyanins have various health benefits, including not only eye protection, but also prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, improvement of cognitive ability, and resistance to insulin and obesity. 2) Pain points in the eye care market In the eye care product market, although many ingredients are claimed to have unique benefits, the reality is that the concentration and quality of many products have not reached standard levels, which has led to consumer disappointment with the actual effectiveness of eye care products. According to the Magic Mirror Insight report, the negative feedback expressed by consumers when choosing eye health products mainly focuses on three core aspects: product efficacy, taste, and ingredient issues. Secondly, from the perspective of raw material formulas, there is relatively limited innovation and differentiation in the formulation of eye care products in the current market, which makes it difficult for consumers to distinguish the unique advantages of each product when choosing, thus making it difficult for enterprises to effectively reflect their uniqueness in competition. Finally, the crucial point is the bioavailability of raw materials, which directly affects whether the product ingredients can be effectively absorbed and utilized by the human body. Recently, Professor Li Bin and his team from Shenyang Agricultural University published a groundbreaking study in the journal Nature, introducing a microcapsule embedding technology that significantly improves the stability of blueberry anthocyanins in industrial applications, increasing them by over 30% and enhancing their bioavailability 8-10 times. At present, this technology has been transformed from the laboratory to the production line of Lanmei Corporation, which produces anthocyanin products. 3) The commercialization challenges and progress of blueberry anthocyanins Blueberry anthocyanins, as a highly regarded health ingredient, have always been a hot topic of discussion in the industry regarding their challenges and progress in commercialization. In 2023, anthocyanins were included in the 2023 edition of the Chinese Dietary Nutrient Reference Intake Guidelines, with a recommended daily intake of 50 milligrams. In the same year, Blue Beauty participated in the formulation and implementation of the "General Principles for Eye Nutrition Food", which further emphasized the role of blueberry anthocyanins in eye health and provided scientific basis for their market application. Blueberry anthocyanins have a wide range of application scenarios and can be deeply deployed in the field of deep processing of nutritional foods, functional foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. However, cost is the main obstacle to their commercialization process. With breakthrough research on the stability and bioavailability of anthocyanins, this challenge is gradually being overcome. In addition, the invention patent "A method for clean production of high content anthocyanin powder using blueberry jelly as raw material" (patent number: ZL 2022 1 0416464.5) applied for by Lanmei Co., Ltd. has been granted. The innovation of this technology not only improves the extraction efficiency of blueberry anthocyanins, but also has the potential to significantly reduce production costs, thereby accelerating the commercialization process of blueberry anthocyanins. 04
Summary
Lanmei Corporation, with the vision of "One Blueberry, Healthy One China", relies on agricultural chip technology, exclusive core processes, patent advantages, and the ability to participate in the formulation of industry standards to achieve complete industrial chain control from seeds to finished products. The future company is committed to scientific research innovation and seed source improvement, aiming to promote blueberry anthocyanins, an innovative health raw material, to a wider market and continuously promote the development of the big health industry.
Shaanxi Huike Botanical Development Co., Ltd. a integrated enterprise which is focus on natural products, Plant extract related products and services.We mainly focus on pharmaceutical, functional food, Freeze-dried powder,Natural Pigment,Homology of medicine and food,beverages and other business services.
For more information about inulin, please contact us!
Email:marketing@huikes.com
2024-06-07
Shaanxi Huike Botanical Development Co., Ltd.
