Introduction

The utilization and advancement of levan is an increasingly prominent subject of concern. Our research aims to establish a high-throughput screening method for high-yielding strains of Levan by combining fluorescence intensity, gene expression and Levan yield. This high-yielding strain can be used as upstream raw material for health product manufacturers or other manufacturers for mass production. As technology advances, so does the scope of use. Therefore, it is important to understand the sustainability and stability of the method, the feasibility of application to various products such as pharmaceutical biologics, plant protection, and the prospects of the market. We fine-tune and refine our approach through many conversations with residents, entrepreneurs and experts.Our IHP work consists of three major sections: Background, Community Engagement, and Education and Reflection.

Figure 1: IHP Structure

Survey

We conducted a survey to find out the level of public awareness regarding Levan and its potential health benefits. We sent the survey and collected various responses from 367 independent individuals, spanning a wide age range from under 18 to over 65 years old.

 

Figure 2: Interviewed Age

 

Firstly, we gathered information about whether the general public is interested in purchasing Levan health products, which is super relevant to our project. 3 2 .33%  of respondents show some interests of such products, while 36.67% of them held a neutral attitude. An analysis of the next question suggests that this might be due to a lack of understanding of these types of products and their components.

 

Figure 3: Are you interested in Levan health products ？

 

We posed a question to assess awareness of Levan, with 66.21% of respondents indicating they had never heard of it, and 20.98% stating 'I have heard of it, but I am not familiar with it.' This data underscored the need for us to intensify our educational outreach efforts.

 

 

Figure 4:  Have you ever heard of Levan?

Moving on we asked about the source that the public tends to believe when they are buying health care products. As you can see from Figure 5, the general public tends to believe in research findings released by medical professional organizations. This means that they tend to purchase the health care products recognized by those authoritative bodies. Therefore, we plan to consider collaboration with medical professional organizations in our future promotional strategies.

 

Figure 5: Healthy products that are perceived by the general public as having a more reliable source.

Stakeholder Interview

Stakeholder Interview with Director Zhang Andong

For this interview, we prepared questions and conducted an interview with Director Andong Zhang, who is Regulatory Affairs Director responsible for Medical Institution Risk Assessment at Powchan Financial Group Co., Ltd, an international pharmaceutical company. The purpose of the interview can be divided into four categories:

1.To understand the development, trends and risks of the nutraceutical industry.

2.To understand the common needs and preferences of consumers in the health food market and the characteristics of consumer groups.

3.To ask Director Andong Zhang about his knowledge of levan-containing health products, and to learn from him about the sales of health products containing levan or similar polysaccharides.

4.Ask the director’s insights on the future prospect of levan-containing health products like the one we studied in the market and its advantages and disadvantages in the market and make plans for the future development of levan.

 

Figure 6: Stakeholder interview

From the interview, we have learned that at present, the proportion of consumption expenditure on health care products in China is still very low, directly linked to the health care expenditure within disposable income. The Chinese health care product market is considered a relatively untapped opportunity. As income levels rise and national health awareness increases, there is a continuous stimulation of demand for health-related consumption among the population.

As for how to make young people better accept our team's products, Mr. Zhang told us that using software that used by more young people, such as Bilibili and Instagram, can better promote our products.  Mr. Zhang also accurately positioned the main audience of health care products for us: one old and one young.

The current market conditions in selling health care products and customer preferences have a significant impact on our future project progresses. However, the extraction of left polysaccharides is limited by production processes, making it difficult to achieve large-scale production in the short term. Factors such as production costs, difficulties, and processes, as well as the decision between in-house production or outsourcing, need to be carefully considered. Product positioning and dosage may need adjustment, and the investment in production equipment and costs should also be taken into account. It is crucial to gain recognition from doctors and experts for our products to be accepted by public hospitals.

While quantitative data is difficult to predict, the future of health supplements is promising. Levan polysaccharides, as a natural plant extract, have multiple benefits and the potential to become a leading health supplement for humans.

Through this interview, we recognized the importance of understanding customer preferences. This understanding allows us to tailor our products to meet the specific needs and demands of consumers. By gathering information on customer preferences, such as preferred ingredients, packaging, or pricing, we can make necessary adjustments to our Levan health care product to better appeal to the target market. Furthermore, it is vital to stay informed about current market conditions. This knowledge is essential for the sustainable development of our Levan health care product.

 

Stakeholder Interview with Dr. Liu Zhen

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to interview Dr. Liu Zhen, a PhD in Finance from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, an investment manager at Hua Yongxin Capital, and  a distinguished expert in the healthcare market. With his extensive knowledge and experience in this field, Dr. Liu proved to be an invaluable resource in our quest for information. His profound insights and thoughtful responses helped to shed light on various aspects of the health care market and provided us with a better understanding of its intricacies. Thanks to Dr. Liu's expertise, we were able to receive comprehensive and enlightening answers to our many questions.

Figure 7a&b:  I nterview with Dr.Liu

We began by providing a concise overview of our business plan, encompassing market research and analysis, product details and technology, target customer demographics, competitor analysis, marketing and promotional strategies, financial planning, and growth projections, followed by an  interview.

 

Situation:

During our interview with Dr. Liu, we had the opportunity to delve into the current situation of the Levan health care product market. Dr. Liu informed us that the market has entered a prosperous phase, primarily due to an increasing number of individuals becoming more conscious about the importance of maintaining a healthy body. This growing awareness has fueled a significant demand for health care products, including those offered by Levan. Dr. Liu notice d  that there is a new  trend in the health supplement market. More young people are becoming interested in taking care of their health. This change is because some health problems are happening to people at a younger age now. Dr. Liu's observations provided us with valuable insights into the market's trajectory and highlighted the rising need for products that promote overall well-being.

 

Dr. Liu also mentioned that in the Levan health care product market, we are confronted with various challenges in our competition against other competitors. The first challenge is the highly saturated market, where numerous companies offer similar products to consumers. With an increasing number of players, differentiation becomes crucial to stand out and capture market share. Additionally, pricing strategies and value propositions need to be carefully considered to attract customers. Another challenge lies in the constant need for product innovation and research, as consumers are becoming more discerning and demanding in terms of product effectiveness and safety. Furthermore, competitive marketing and advertising strategies play a critical role in creating brand awareness and establishing a loyal customer base amidst stiff competition. Successfully addressing these challenges will enable us to carve a niche and thrive in the competitive Levan health care product market.

 

Possible solutions:

One possible solution is to focus on raising awareness of the Levan health care product. This can be done through targeted marketing campaigns, utilizing various channels such as social media, television, and print advertisements. For older consumers, we will consider offline promotions and seminar events, while for younger consumers, we will leverage e-commerce platforms and social media advertising.  Additionally, partnering with healthcare professionals and organizations to promote the benefits and effectiveness of our products can also help increase awareness and credibility. Further more,  we also need to increase our research and development investment and accelerate the iterative updates of our products based on market demand.

 

Expert Interview

Dr.Wu Bo

In our quest for groundbreaking advancements, we had the privilege of hosting an illuminating online meeting with the esteemed Associate Researcher Dr.Wu Bo. With his profound expertise in microbial metabolic engineering and agricultural waste utilization, Dr. Wu offered invaluable insights into the realm of Levan production, delving into the intricate challenges encountered in mass-produced Levan. Dr. Wu specializes in innovative microbial strain engineering, where he pioneers engineering strains through rational molecular design, non-rational mutagenesis, and laboratory evolution strategies to transform agricultural waste resources into microbial strain resources through high-throughput screening, evaluation, and fermentation process engineering. Dr. Wu's expertise provided a solid foundation for our research team's exploration of innovative solutions and has invigorated our pursuit of revolutionizing Levan production for a healthier and sustainable future.

Here are some key points from this interview:

Challenges in Large-Scale Levan Production:

Levan is a naturally occurring carbohydrate that can be found in certain foods, such as honey and some plants. However, producing Levan in large quantities can be challenging. One reason for this difficulty is the limited sources from which Levan can be extracted.

Another challenge is the complex and delicate process of Levan production. It typically involves the use of specific enzymes or bacteria to convert sugars into Levan. Maintaining optimal conditions for the growth and activity of these microorganisms can be a delicate process, often requiring precise temperature, pH, and nutrient control. Any deviation from these conditions can impact Levan production efficiency.

Furthermore, the scale of Levan production also contributes to its difficulty. Scaling up production processes to meet high demand can introduce additional challenges, such as maintaining consistency, quality control, and the cost-effectiveness of the production methods.

Overall, the combination of limited sources, complex production processes, and challenges related to scalability makes Levan production in large quantities more challenging, which can lead to higher market prices for Levan-containing products.

Figure 8: Expert interview

Difficulties and challenges in Assessing Levan Content and Byproducts:

The high molecular weight of RFP interferes with the transferability and sensitivity of the reporting system. The activity of SacB cannot reflect the Levan content well (that is, the activity of SacB does not show a strong linear correlation with Levan content), and it is possible that other genes also affect sacB activity and Levan production.

Secondly, microbial strains will produce byproducts metabolized by microorganisms during the production of LEVAN, thus affecting the purity of LEVAN products. At present, we cannot rule out the interference of these byproducts on products, and we cannot directly put LEVAN obtained by microbial strains into the next step of production and processing.

Possible solutions:

To solve the difficulties, Dr. Wu suggested to improve the transferability and sensitivity of the reporting system; Or look for more suitable priming elements and fluorescent proteins to eliminate interference from other genes.

 

Field trip

Since Levan has a good effect on the elderly, we went to a nursing home to carry out volunteer practice activities. In today's society, the health problems of the elderly cannot be ignored. Our objectives are twofold: first, to disseminate health-related knowledge to a broader elderly population, and second, to engage in conversations with our specific target audience.

Through our interaction with the elderly, we have been deeply touched. It is gratifying to witness the smiles on their faces and their positive responses. We eagerly anticipate potential lifestyle changes in their future.

It is important to care for and support older persons. By communicating, accompanying, and helping them, we can bring them more attention, respect, and joy. This not only improves their quality of life but also brings them spiritual comfort and emotional satisfaction. In addition, such activities can promote intergenerational communication and understanding, so that our young people can learn to respect and cherish their elders and grow and inspire from them.

This visit provided us with an opportunity to directly engage with the elderly community. During this process, we had the chance to interact with our target audience for our product and gain insights into their opinions regarding our health product.

 

 

Figure 9 a-d : Our communication with the elderly

Conclusion

A survey was conducted to understand the public's interest in nutraceuticals containing Levan and their trusted sources of information.

Interviewed a nutraceutical industry stakeholder to capture market trends and consumer preferences for nutraceuticals containing Levan.

Interviewed a investor in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry to gain a clearer understanding of market dynamics, prompting us to formulate appropriate market strategies and boost our R&D investment.

Engaged with microbial engineering experts to gather insights and potential solutions to Levan's mass production challenges.

The visit to the nursing home provided us with a better understanding of our product's target customers.

Reflections:

(1) Increased understanding of the public's interest and preference for Levain health products for targeted development and marketing strategies.

(2) Enhanced understanding of nutraceutical industry trends and consumer needs to aid in the development and positioning of future Levan products.

(3) Gained valuable insights from experts on the challenges and potential solutions to Levan's large-scale production, paving the way for a sustainable and cost-effective production process.

Implementation Summary

In the burgeoning Levan health care product market, our team is primed to address the increasing demand for holistic health solutions. Our research has pioneered a high-throughput screening method for high-yielding strains of Levan, positioning it as a potential upstream raw material for health product manufacturers. As we've discerned from our extensive surveys, there's a significant gap in public awareness regarding Levan and its health benefits. To bridge this, our strategic outreach encompasses both the young and elderly demographics, leveraging platforms like Bilibili and Instagram for the former, and direct interactions, as evidenced by our nursing home visits, for the latter.

Our primary clientele will be individuals, especially the elderly, who are progressively becoming more health-conscious. We anticipate these consumers seamlessly integrating our Levan health products into their daily wellness routines. Furthermore, our stakeholder interviews, especially with industry experts like Director Zhang Andong and Dr. Liu Zhen, have provided invaluable insights into the current market dynamics and future prospects. Their expertise underscores the importance of collaborations with medical professional organizations and the need for continuous research and development.

To ensure the successful implementation of our project in the real world, we're focusing on raising product awareness through targeted marketing campaigns, enhancing our research and development initiatives, and fostering collaborations with key stakeholders in the health care sector. By understanding and addressing the specific needs and preferences of our target audience, we're committed to making our Levan health care products a mainstay in the wellness industry.

For further information: Please see our Entrepreneurship Page.