Overview
In order to make our project meet the needs of the real world, we collected information through public surveys, interviews with experts in various fields, and field visits to feed research and development company. Through these , we not only gained a clearer understanding of the public perception of the problems associated with antibiotic abuse and land salinization, but also received some inspiration for project improvement and implementation, such as the handling of product forms, temperature control during product production, and biosafety considerations. These suggestions allowed us to achieve a more rational and economical project.
Highlights of Integrated HP
1.Inspiration for implementation
--Dr.Lu gave us directions on product promotion and marketability,We considered the product form and cost issues that guided our next consideration of the team's approach to product form
--Dr.Li suggested us to consider what form it will eventually be sold in, such as a powder or a liquid can. With his advice, we chose powder form as the final form of our product.
--The experts of Shineking Biotech Co., Ltd. suggested that we use spray drying with temperature control to dry the product, avoiding the high mortality rate of vacuum drying and the high cost of freeze drying.
--Dr.Li also pointed out the need to do a good job of compounding the product when it is produced, specifically to the environment that the animal has to overcome in order to achieve a targeted solution to the problem.
2.The social value and significance of science
--According to our questionnaire, we learned that the majority of people around us are still unaware of the seriousness of salinization and the specific parts of life that are affected by antibiotic abuse. This led us to decide to create a separate series of presentations for this purpose on our public website.
--From our experience in holding promotional events and an expert from Nanjing Normal University,we have also learned from our events that science with a lot of professionalism is not effective, so we are trying to make the language as simple as possible in our later events,and focuse on high school students as the target audience, as well as producing cartoon-based promotional materials.
3.Biosafety and Policy
--From the interview with Dr.Sun,we knew that although the biosafety risk of Clostridium butyricumolicy is relatively low, strict disinfection and sterilization are still required in the fermentation process, and a closed working system is needed. In these aspects, we have achieved the applied design strictly according to the above requirements.
--Dr.Li,suggested that we could use inactive organisms, such as metabolites of microorganisms, when considering the biosafety and policy aspects of genetic modification. This will be the direction for us to conduct in-depth research afterwards.
Human Pactice
1 Questionnaire Results
From July to September, we conducted a questionnaire survey on the public's understanding of antibiotic abuse and soil salinization, and obtained some useful information.
The public survey was released online in July and 253 questionnaires were collected. Participants of different genders, ages and educational backgrounds participated in the online questionnaire survey.
Analysis of survey results:
1.1 68.1% agree that soil salinization is a serious social problem, which shows that our butyric acid fertilizer is very necessary
1.2 Only17.4% of surveyed people know about soil salinization better, the others slightly understand the concept of soil salinization, but lack of detailed understanding. However, as one of the serious environmental problems in China, soil salinization needs public attention.
So, We plan to make people pay attention to soil salinization through WeChat official account and public promotional activities.
1.3 73.89% of respondents believed that weak acid could solve the problem of saline alkali land.
This survey result verifies that our product governance method is recognized by the public
1.4 Through investigation, we notice that investigators eat more livestock meat products than other animals species. Specifically, 77.5%, 66.0% and 67.2% of the people prefer to eat pork, beef and chicken, duck and goose respectively.
- Thus, probiotic feed additives for livestock have market potential
1.5 Only a few people (67.6% have only a rough idea) pay attention to the abuse usage of antibiotics in feed. The excess antibiotics in animals would finally reach human bodies and harm people’s health.
- It is very important to publicize and popularize the harm caused by meat products with excessive antibiotics
1.6 62.5% think that Clostridium tyrobutyricum feed has a good development prospect. However, 55.4% of people will worry about biosafety, and the high cost (42.3%) is also one of the concerns.
- Before our products can be officially put into the market, we must go through many tests to certify that the products are safe and effective; At the same time, we will get the national security approval, so that users can rest assured. As for the cost, we will try our best to achieve "good quality and low price".
2 Expert interview
Prof. Li
Research area : Probiotic and Postbiotic，Animal Nutrition
To confirm the possibility of replacing antibiotics with Clostridium tyrobutyricum and whether it can achieve the effect we expect in animals in vivo and in vitro, we interviewed Dr. Li Jinjin, an expert in animal nutrition feed science.
There are constructive suggestions from the experts:
- After making a feed additive, we need to do some preliminary research to study its dosage. The promotion amount of the dosage is also needed to be investigated when making the formula. If there is no such step, it may not achieve good results.
- Find appropriate dosage of feed additives for different kinds of animals. At the same time, we need to know the adaptability of different animals to our products through tests and animal experiments
- Consider what form it will eventually be sold in, such as powder or liquid cans. If it is powder, its dryness and humidity should be considered, and its shelf life will be affected.
- Relevant animal experiments can be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of butyric acid in animal intestine. For example, the effectiveness of butyric acid in pig intestine can be tested by culturing its colon epithelial cells, and then adding Clostridium tyrobutyricum to observe whether there is wall hanging. This is also the most powerful evidence to prove that this strain is capable of colonizing in vivo.
Dr. Lu
Research area:
Ph.D.in Nanjing Agricultural University,Chairman of Hainan Guiyutian Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.
We interviewed Dr. Chaoping Lu about product promotion and marketability,and He gave us some good advice.He gave us several directions to consider as to whether Clostridium tyrobutyricum can be successfully marketed as a feed additive.
1.the competitive comparison with other antibiotic alternatives;
2.the range of acceptance of feed additive cost by farming farmers;
3. whether there is a precedent of marketable research and development of probiotic alternatives for probiotics, and which product has a high market share.
3 Field trip in biotechnology companies
In late July, our team visited Nanjing Shineking Biotech Co., Ltd. in Jiangbei New District, Nanjing, and discussed the advantages, functions, production process and other issues of probiotic feed with researchers and engineers in the company. We analyzed the feasibility of the project and designed an optimized scheme for the device for producing feed additives.
Dr.Sun,the engineer in the company,told us,current alternatives to antibiotics are too costly, so our project is the one to look forward to.
In addition, regarding our previous conception of using vacuum drying to treat the product, he said that the mortality rate of the strain after vacuum drying is as high as 80%-90%, and suggested that we use spray drying and control the temperature to ensure that the strain will not die during the drying process.
