Shandong Zhonghui Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

Shandong Zhonghui Biotechnology was founded in May 1997 with registered capital of RMB 20 million and makes fermentation-derived colours and seasonings. Its output covers caramel colour, monascus red and monascus yellow, red fermented rice and red yeast rice powder, and acid-hydrolysed vegetable protein, with a further line of enzyme preparations sold as brewing aids. The company states total assets above RMB 200 million and annual output of 50,000 tonnes of these products.

The works are at No. 8 Zhonghui Avenue in the Efficient Economic Zone of Huimin County, Binzhou, Shandong. Headcount is given as around 150, of whom roughly 50 are technicians and engineers; the technical centre carries 35 engineering staff including six senior engineers. Certifications listed are ISO 9001, ISO 22000 and Halal, and the company held a national production licence for food additives from the first round issued in 2006.

Zhonghui works with Beijing Technology and Business University, Jiangnan University, Qilu University of Technology and the Shandong Academy of Sciences, and jointly runs the Shandong Microbial Pigment Engineering Technology Research Centre. A provincial academician workstation was approved in 2012. The company took part in drafting national standards for caramel colour, red yeast rice powder and monascus yellow, and says it was the first Chinese producer of functional red yeast rice by liquid fermentation. It reports 30 improved monascus strains bred and three national invention patents applied for, one granted.