1.1 The Background of The Product

1.1.1 Social Demand

(1)The awareness of health
Nowadays, people’s living standards are much higher than before, so they have developed higher eating standard and attach more importance to the nutrition, green and safety^[1]. Those artificially synthesized preservatives become increasingly unpopular among consumers. By contrast, the preservative from natural is safe and effective, which suits people’s pursuit of healthy lifestyle and makes it really popular in the market. Lots of people prefer spend more money to choose healthier food options.

(2)The development of the demand
The growth rate of preservatives in China has been increasing year after year . We did a survey of 252 respondents about their awareness, pMarketing Plannings, concerns, and behaviors regarding natural and artificial food preservatives. Results showed that a substantial majority of respondents (71.03%) are either very worried or a little worried about the health effects of chemical preservatives. Majority (83.73%) of respondents are troubled by food decay and waste.

(3)The progress of the technology
Synthetic biology has some cool new ideas. Firstly, it uses technologies like gene editing and cell culture. For example, these technologies can help us make lysozyme and antimicrobial peptides more efficiently. They not only boost production and improve quality, but also decrease costs. That way, it's much easier to produce natural preservatives on a large scale, and in the end, it also makes these products more competitive in the market.​

(4)Increase environmental awareness
The "2023 China Consumer Trend Report" shows that 73.8% of consumers will prioritize green and environmentally friendly products or brands in their daily lives^[2]. Consumers are more aware of protecting the environment now. This makes companies use more green products. consumers' environmental awareness prompts enterprises to use more of them, achieving a win-win situation for development and environmental protection.

1.1.2 The product prospect

Nowadays, people prefer natural and safe food, and this product can satisfy this kind of demand. What is more, our product complies with the standards of many countries' rules. Those countries encourage people to use natural preservatives instead of chemical ones. With the development of synthetic biology, we can increase output, decrease costs, and expand more application scenarios. So we believe our product will replace the chemical preservatives used in the past.

1.2 Team introduction

Our team's division of labor is clear, and each member has specific responsibilities. Here's the breakdown:
	Yang Yufei's mainly gonna set up personalized marketing strategies. She'll also plan the product promotion programs and guide the overall activities.
	Wang Yuxiao's in charge of making online promotion contents. He's also handling financial planning stuff and is a key player in finance.
	Zhang Ceze focuses on new - media promotion, using all kinds of social platforms to promote the products. Plus, he'll search for and analyze the data needed for financial planning.
	Qiu Yunchuan Marketing and competitions and makes posters and peripheral products to expand the product's reach and boost its popularity.
	Lu Hongrui is the product promotion manager. He's gonna shoot and edit promotion videos and aims to create high - quality ones.
	Shen Kaiyue's job is to collect user feedback and market trends. He'll provide data support for product upgrades and marketing strategy planning and is a crucial part of information collection and feedback.
	Hu Zhengyu has to analyze the sales conversion rates and user profiles of different channels and optimize the channel resources to improve promotion efficiency.
	Zhang Shijia manages the market reputation and maintains the product's good image through content marketing and social media operations.
	Wang Zhixin analyzes the user experience of competing products' rules to give us Marketing Plannings for product improvement.
	Fan Xinyi mainly does market research, like conducting questionnaires, doing interviews, and analyzing the collected data.
	Xiong Zhenduo focuses on analyzing competing companies and provides our team with relevant market competition information.
	Zhu Jiaxuan, Zhang Xijin, Guo Muheng, You Yiliang, Zhang Zhenze, Sun Tian'en, Wang He, Wang Xinyu, Zeng Zhuoyan, Dong Liang, Zhang Jingyi, and Shang Nianxi form the R & D team. They're in charge of developing preservative products and are the core of our product R & D.
      

1.3 Our product

1.3.1 Basic information of the product

Our product is a natural preserving agent that is engineered with synthetic biology technology, and lysozyme and antimicrobial peptide are the main ingredients. Lysozyme, which belongs to alkaline protease and exists in different animals and plants, has a high catalytic activity that can hydrolyze the glycosidic bond of gram positive bacteria cell wall, while displaying a powerful bacteriolytic effect on Gram positive bacteria.BAC, an integral part of the native biological immune response, is a natural, safe, and highly efficient antibacterial substance which denature bacteria with perturbation of the bacterial cell structure.

AMPs (antimicrobial polypeptides) are a group of high-activity alkaline peptide bactericides. They exist extensively in many organisms. The mechanisms of action of AMPs are multifarious (e.g., causing damage to cell membranes, impeding cell wall construction, disrupting cell metabolism and having immunomodulatory functions); nevertheless, their main action is destroying cell membranes, by which they can eliminate a large number of microorganisms efficiently and rapidly. Combining two components at a time using our approach in synthetic biology, we are able to maximize these two components’ synergic antibacterial effectiveness and obtain an unprecedented biological natural preservative

1.3.2 Strength of the product

The main ingredients are lysozyme and antimicrobial peptides. They come from natural living things. They’re natural things that help living things fight bad stuff, which are really important for how humans, animals, and plants stay healthy.​

In contrast to traditional chemical preservatives like benzoic acid and potassium sorbate, this product contains no bad chemicals. When we use it in food, it doesn’t leave harmful leftovers. It also won’t hurt your liver.​ Your body can break down these natural ingredients easily. So, it’s great for people with stomach troubles and babies, since they need super safe things every day.

1.3.3 Questions we solved

	non-natural origin: Most natural biosynthetic preservatives come from animals, plants, tiny living things and what they make—like antimicrobial peptides, lysozymes, plant extracts and all that. These little bits work good with our bodies. Our bodies can just break 'em down by themselves, almost no leftover stuff at all.
	complex ingredient list: These days, in the food business, everyone's wanting "fewer additives". People care more about the food's ingredient list too. Our product's a natural mix. It can make the food's ingredient list way simpler. And when companies follow the "clean label" rules, they get more popular in the market.
	not fresh-keeping: Chemical preservatives, they mess with how food tastes and looks, even ruin the good nutrients in it. Like, some man-made ones can make juice lose its color, maybe even make meat taste bad. But we get the amount of lysozyme and antimicrobial peptides just right. This mixed preservative stops bacteria from growing, and barely changes the food's original quality. So it works really well for good foods that care a lot about flavor—like natural fruit juices and fermented dairy products.
      

2.1 Market Overview

The market size of China's biological preservatives has maintained steady growth in recent years. The "2024-2030 China Biological Preservatives Market Analysis and Investment Prospect Research Report" released by Boshi Data indicates that it is expected to grow to approximately 4.3 billion US dollars by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.81% during the forecast period.

2.2 PEST analysis

(1)Political
Governments around the world have successively introduced policies to encourage the use of natural and safe food additives, providing a favorable policy environment for the development of the biological preservatives market. In addition，National food safety rules don't allow using a lot of chemical preservatives. Biopreservatives have room to develop. On February 8, 2025, the "National Food Safety Standard - Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB 2760-2024)" will be officially implemented^[3]. The new regulation removes the usage of dehydroacetic acid and its sodium salt in food products such as starch products, bread, and pastries, and reduces the maximum usage amount in pickled vegetables.

(2)Economic
Most companies care a lot about costs. So, it’s really important to talk about all the good things biopreservatives do. They make food last longer. And they help cut down on waste.​ When the economy goes up and down, people might not want to use them in fancy ways as much.

(3)Social
Today, more and more consumers want healthier, natural products. They look for clean labels and as few additives as possible. This has really increased the use and demand for biopreservatives.

(4)Technological
In today’s food industry, using synthetic biology to make natural food preservatives (with lysozyme and antimicrobial peptides) has both tech opportunities and challenges. On the positive side, new technologies let microorganisms produce more lysozyme and antimicrobial peptides efficiently. Also, when making such products took much time and cost, now controlling factors like temperature and nutrients during fermentation (plus automated tools) helps raise production efficiency. However, technological difficulties cannot be ignored. Creating stable microorganisms that make these preservatives needs good tech and equipment. Right now, some modified strains aren’t stable enough, and the preservative output may not meet large-scale needs.^[4]

2.3 Porter’s Five Force

(1)Supplier Bargaining Power (Medium-High)
 Suppliers of core raw materials (such as specialty plants and fungi) are scarce and prone to monopoly. We need to lock in farm supply through long-term contracts or establish our own cultivation bases to reduce dependence.

(2)Buyer Bargaining Power (High)
Large customers (food giants) purchase large volumes, aggressively pressure prices, and may turn to lower-priced alternatives. Our strategy is to provide customized formulas and demonstrate with data that our products reduce food loss, saving customers money.

(3)Existing Competitive Intensity (Medium-High)
Competitors include biotech companies (fermentation preservatives), natural extract companies (such as plant-based preservatives), and transitioning chemical giants. Competition focuses on patented technologies, certifications (such as organic), and successful cases, necessitating accelerated differentiation and innovation.

(4)Threat of New Entrants (Medium)
New Entrants face challenges in quickly entering the market due to the difficulty of technology development, long approval cycles (3-5 years), and high initial investment. Potential threats come from cross-industry R&D by pharmaceutical companies or food giants, which require patent barriers.

(5)Threat of Substitutes (High)
Traditional chemical preservatives (cheap but unnatural), physical preservation techniques (such as freezing), and the trend toward shorter shelf lives all pose alternatives. Our advantage lies in upgrading preservatives to a multifunctional solution that combines "natural preservation and nutritional enhancement."

2.4 SWOT

(1)Broad spectrum antibacterial activity Lysozyme mainly targets Gram-positive bacteria (G+), while antibacterial peptides (such as cecropin, nisin, etc.) can inhibit Gram-negative bacteria (G-) and some fungi, and the combination of them can broaden the antibacterial spectrum.

Compare: DuPont's Nisin (effective only for G+ bacteria) are weak in broad spectrum^[5].

(2)Natural safety, in line with the trend of clean label Consumers are more worried about synthetic preservatives (such as sodium benzoate and sodium dehydroacetate), while biological preservatives (such as lysozyme and antibacterial peptides) are more popular in the market.

Compare: Nisin and natamycin of Shengda Bio (New Silver Elephant) have obtained FDA certification, but the market acceptance of antimicrobial peptides is still rising^[6].

(3)Synergy, reduce dosage Experiments show that the combination of lysozyme+antimicrobial peptide can reduce the dosage of single component and improve the anticorrosion effect.

2.4.2 Weakness

(1)The high production cost The extraction and purification of antimicrobial peptides are expensive (such as housefly induced extraction), while the industrial production of lysozyme (such as egg white extraction) is mature, but the compound preparation may increase the cost.

Compare: Nisin cost of Zhejiang Yinxiang is lower ($40-60/kg), while the price of antibacterial peptide may be higher($860/kg)^[7].

(2)Stability problem Lysozyme is easily inactivated at high temperature or extreme pH, while antimicrobial peptides may be degraded by protease in food.

2.4.3 Opportunities

(1)Substitution demand of chemical preservatives Since February 2025, sodium dehydroacetate has been banned in China, and the baking and meat products industries are in urgent need of alternatives^[8].

(2)Functional food growth Probiotic drinks and plant-based foods need natural preservatives, and lysozyme+antimicrobial peptides can meet the demand.

(3)Technological innovation (such as nano-coating and slow-release technology) Nano-materials (such as nano-carbon powder) can improve the stability and slow-release effect of lysozyme^[9].

(4)Application expansion of medicine and cosmetics Ply Pharmaceutical's antibacterial peptide PL-3301 has entered clinical trials, showing the potential of antibacterial peptides in the field of medicine^[10].

2.4.4 Threats

(1)Competition of existing giants：Dupont, Kohansen, Kerry Group, etc. have occupied the main market share, and new entrants need differentiated competition.

(2)Low-end overcapacity：China's Nisin industry has overcapacity, and the price war may affect profits.

(3)Insufficient consumer cognition：After seeing "antibacterial peptide" on some product, some consumers mistakenly think it is "antibiotic" or "artificial synthetic drug", and worry that long-term consumption will affect the intestinal flora.

2.5 Competitor Analysis

We compared our preservatives with biological and chemical preservatives from other companies to highlight the advantages of our products.

Figure 1 Competitor Analysis

3.1 Product

(1)physical product

We have two product forms. The first is a liquid formulation made by mixing lysozyme and antimicrobial peptides.The second is a powdered mixed formulation. These are widely used in various scenarios.

In meat preservation, it can be used for perishable foods such as salmon fillets. In the field of fruit and vegetable preservation, it can effectively control the growth of mold and yeast. In the production of alcoholic beverages, it can serve as a preservative for unpasteurized drinks like beer, extending the shelf life while preserving the original flavor and quality of the beverages. Additionally, this compound preservative can also be applied to seafood preservation, which helps extend the food's shelf life, delay food spoilage, and ensure the quality and safety of aquatic products.

(2)product model

2B model: Through our interview with Mr. Zhang An Dong, he suggested that we mainly adopt the 2B model mainly in the business field. Natural preservatives are safe and healthy，so they meet the needs of B-end customers. These customers include food processing companies and daily chemical makers.

(3)Product Packaging

 We select high-quality materials to ensure the stability of preservatives. The inner layer of aluminum foil composite film blocks oxygen and moisture, while the outer layer of sturdy paper material facilitates the printing of product information. The brand logo is prominently displayed on the front of the packaging, with a distinct icon to enhance recognition. The product name and usage are presented in a simple font, along with detailed information such as ingredients, usage methods, and shelf life. A QR code is attached for customers to obtain more technical support. The packaging seal design is of high quality, ensuring stable active ingredients within the shelf life. The opening design is convenient for access and can be opened and closed multiple times, meeting production requirements.

(4)Product service

The services we offer cover the entire process from product customization to technical support. Based on the specific needs of our clients, we will provide detailed technical guidance, including the addition amounts in different types of food In addition to adding timing and blending methods, we regularly conduct quality follow-ups and tracking of the products used by our customers to understand their effects and promptly address quality issues. Moreover, we offer training services on product knowledge and usage techniques to our customers to enhance their awareness and proficiency in using the products. We also collaborate with professional logistics companies to ensure the products are delivered on time Safe delivery to meet customers' urgent order needs

3.2 Price

Based on the market data we have searched and collected, we have identified the raw materials for producing lysozyme and antimicrobial peptides as follows.

Figure 2 raw materials

In terms of the production process, we first ferment 1 liter of yeast, then transfer it to a 10-liter fermenter and add bleomycin. Finally, we move the mixture to a 15,000-liter large fermenter for fermentation. This process can produce 15 kg of lysozyme or antimicrobial peptides.Therefore, if this fermenter produces 15 kg of lysozyme, the required costs are as follows: 1,350 yuan for glucose, 1,200 yuan for tryptone, 5,100 yuan for yeast extract, and 3,000 yuan for bleomycin, totaling 10,650 yuan.

By analogy, if the fermenter is used to produce 15 kg of antimicrobial peptides, the cost will also be 10,650 yuan.

At present, our experiments have not involved the mixing ratio of the two products. However, in subsequent experiments, we will continue to study the ratio of lysozyme to antimicrobial peptides required for producing 1 kg or 1 liter of mixed formulations. Here, we initially assume that lysozyme and antimicrobial peptides are mixed at a ratio of 1:1. This is because the two raw materials target the cell membrane and protein production process respectively; therefore, to ensure the complete elimination of a bacterium, the two products can be used in equal amounts.

Thus, the cost of producing 30 kg of powdered mixture of lysozyme and antimicrobial peptides is 21,300 yuan, and the cost of producing 1 kg of powdered mixture is 710 yuan. Therefore, our selling price is set at 1,500 yuan per kg.

In addition, our mixture can also be made into a liquid formulation. For the liquid type, our experiments have shown that the optimal bactericidal concentration is 128 g/L, which means 128 g of lysozyme and 128 g of antimicrobial peptides are required to produce 1 liter of mixed liquid. Therefore, the cost of the liquid formulation is 182 yuan per liter, and our selling price is 500 yuan per liter.

3.3 Place

Offline

There are professional raw material purchasing platforms. Examples are Foodchem and Compass. These platforms bring together many food processing companies. They also have two main functions. One is checking product qualifications. The other is negotiating bulk purchases. What's more, natural preservatives can be put in the platform's raw material library. They are sorted and shown there. And they have a "natural and safe" label. This makes it easy for food companies to choose them. These preservatives are good for production scenarios. For example, they work well in making canned foods and baked goods.

Online:

They can be sold to individual consumers through short videos and tags.

3.4 Promotion

Place professional advertisements for natural preservatives on social media and professional newspapers, such as banner ads and search keyword ads on vertical industry websites like FoodMate and Daily Chemical Raw Materials Network. When users search for "food preservatives" or "cosmetics preservation solutions", precisely push the product page of natural preservatives, highlighting core selling points such as "SGS safety certification" and "suitable for multiple preservation scenarios", guiding B-end customers to consult and try.

Produce a series of short videos titled "Natural Preservatives Safeguarding Healthy Living", and promote them on Douyin and WeChat Video. The content covers scenarios such as "extending the freshness of homemade jam in the kitchen with natural preservatives" and "mothers choosing children's skin care products based on preservative ingredients", visually presenting the safety and practicality of natural preservatives.

3.5 People

Our company’s staff are all focused on natural biological food preservatives.

First, the management team makes important decisions. They also lead the company’s development.

Then, the R&D staff work on new products. They also try to improve how we make products. This helps the company stay ahead in technology.

Next, the production staff make the products. They make sure the quality is good. They also make sure we have enough products to supply.

The quality control staff check every step. They make sure all products meet the standards.

Salespeople help sell the products. They also try to expand the market. And they work to meet what customers need.

Customer service staff help after sales. They also collect what customers say. This helps us make our services better.

The logistics team handles daily work. They help the company run smoothly.

All these people do their own jobs well. They also work together. This helps the company grow. And it lets us give good service to customers.

3.6 Process

When we sell natural biological food preservatives, we do several steps.​ First, we look for possible customers through many ways. For example, we join industry exhibitions. We also promote online. And we take part in food industry forums.​

Once we find these possible customers, we talk with them in detail. We want to know their specific needs and what they expect. At the same time, we give them detailed product info and solutions.​

Besides that, we want customers to understand our products better. So we give them product samples. These samples show how well the products work and their advantages.​

After both sides agree on things like product specs, quantities, prices, delivery times, payment ways, quality standards and breach liabilities, we sign a formal sales contract.​ Then, we arrange production and delivery according to customer orders. We make sure products are delivered on time.​

Finally, we promise to give good after-sales service. This includes technical support, product advice and handling customer feedback. Doing this helps make customers more satisfied and loyal.

3.7 Physical evidence

Brand image establishment: The brand image can be shaped by emphasizing the pure natural ingredients of the product, its highly efficient antibacterial performance, and the guarantee of food safety. Display the production process of the products, quality inspection reports and customer reviews, etc., to enhance consumers' trust.

Offline environment design: In a retail environment, dedicated display areas can be set up to highlight the natural and healthy attributes of the products. Attract customers' attention and stimulate their purchasing interest through exquisite packaging design, vivid product display and detailed usage instructions.

Online brand display: On the website, products can be showcased through high-quality product images, detailed specification descriptions, user reviews and usage tutorials. At the same time, utilize social media platforms for content marketing, share the advantages of the products and application cases, attract the attention of potential customers and promote purchasing behavior.

4.1 financial goals

(1)Short-term Goals (1-3 Years)
	Complete the transition from laboratory scale-up to further pilot production
	Obtain certification from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
	Establish pilot cooperation with 2-3 food processing enterprises
	Achieve small-batch commercial sales
	Build a core R&D team and a small-scale production base
	File 2-3 patents for core technologies and establish brand awareness
  
(2)Medium-to-Long-term Goals (4-5 Years)
	Realize large-scale mass production with an annual capacity exceeding 50 tons and reduce costs
	Become an industry technical benchmark, expand cooperative clients to over 50, and cover multiple fields
	Achieve annual revenue of over 4 million yuan in the first year (of reaching large-scale production)
	Establish supply chain and quality control standards, and launch 2-3 derivative products
      

4.2 Revenue and cost plan

4.2.1 Price
Liquid: 500 yuan/L
Powder: 1,500 yuan/kg
      

4.2.2 Revenue

Considering the market conditions, the initial sales volume of our liquid product is 8,000 liters, and that of our powder product is 2,500 kilograms. We predict that with the passage of time and market expansion, our sales volume will increase year by year. Therefore, the revenue from these two end products is as shown in the table below.

Figure 3 Revenue

The production costs of lysozyme and antimicrobial peptides cover multiple aspects. Since we will produce these two products and they can share the same production line, costs such as workshop space, equipment, and labor are allocated equally between the two production lines. Details are as follows

raw materials：Core components of fermentation medium, bacterial strains and their maintenance materials, and auxiliary materials for the purification process.We have already specified this cost earlier: the raw material cost for producing 1 liter (of the liquid product) is 182 yuan, and the raw material cost for producing 1 kilogram (of the powder product) is 710 yuan. However, as time goes on and production scale expands, the raw material cost will decrease year by year. Starting from the fourth year, the raw material cost for producing 1 liter (of the liquid product) will be 150 yuan, and the raw material cost for producing 1 kilogram (of the powder product) will be 500 yuan.

Figure 4 Cost of raw materials

site-related expenses: encompassing laboratories, production workshops, and auxiliary office areas.This cost mainly arises from annual rental fees. Moreover, as the company expands its scale and gradually achieves economies of scale, the equipment cost is decreasing steadily.

Figure 5 site-related expenses

equipment-related costs: This includes the costs of fermentation equipment, purification equipment, and testing equipment, totaling approximately 1,273,000 yuan.

staff salaries: production supervisors, R&D technicians, and quality managers. This cost mainly consists of the salaries of individual employees. Moreover, in the first two years, the annual employee salary increased at a growth rate of 5%; starting from the fourth year, the salary growth rate was 8%, and in the fifth year, it stood at 10%. Last，As a startup company, we currently have only 11 administrative staff and 12 technical staff, with each person receiving a monthly salary of 10,000 yuan.The annual salary costs are allocated equally between the two production lines, with specific figures as follows.

Figure 6 staff salaries

energy and power costs: electricity and steam，the total amount is 8,000,00yuan, and when allocated equally to each of the two production lines, each line bears 4,000,00 yuan.

4.2.4 Profit

In general, there will be a slight loss in the first three years, and we expect to turn from a loss to a profit starting from the fourth year.

Figure 7 Liquid Profit

Figure 8 Powder Profit

Formulation risk
When formulating a natural preservative by compounding lysozyme with antimicrobial peptides, the compounding ratio and technology are crucial. An improper compounding ratio may affect the synergistic effect between them, resulting in the failure to give full play to their respective antibacterial advantages.        
      

Measures
We will conduct multiple rounds of experiments to verify our compounding ratios, and ultimately select the most appropriate one.
      

[1]Firoozzare, A., Boccia, F., Yousefian, N., Ghazanfari, S., & Pakook, S. (2024). Understanding the role of awareness and trust in consumer purchase decisions for healthy food and products. Food Quality and Preference, 121, 105275.
[2]https://www.ndrc.gov.cn/wsdwhfz/202312/t20231222_1362867.html 
[3]https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202403/content_7001729.htm
[4]Ref: Rupeika-Apoga, R., & Wendt, S. (2021). FinTech in Latvia: status quo, current developments, and challenges ahead. Risks, 9(10), 181.
[5]https://www.chemicalbook.com/NewsInfo_1300.htm
[6]https://mbd.baidu.com/ma/s/J7YZW8A4
[7]https://mbd.baidu.com/ma/s/KwG7hPbI
[8]http://www.yangjiang.gov.cn/zwgk/ywdt/yjyw/content/mpost_822578.html
[9]https://mbd.baidu.com/ma/s/yZJsB1p7
[10]https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzUxMTY5MzM5OQ==&mid=2247578466&idx=1&sn=788b12ad16d5e264bcc0775005d4d278
&chksm=f8024e0c237d6413d552d3813babfb6557f4f13631a4a21c6dfb47a1f8dea24a2224ce98dcec&scene=27