Through his father's illness, Zhou Fangyuan actually saw two points that could be tried to penetrate.

One is the pharmaceutical business, it is not easy to make drugs on a global scale, it is a business with high returns but high risks, of course, if it can be made, the benefits are still great.

The second is a food additive that has not become popular today, but will become more and more popular in the future - sugar substitutes!

The so-called sugar substitutes, in fact, can replace sugar to release sweet food additives, they are characterized by sweetness, but no calories and no sugar, do not participate in the various reactions of human digestion, after ingestion into the body, will be directly excreted by the body, do not worry about causing obesity or blood sugar increase. For example, everyone's common aspartame and sweeteners are all sugar substitutes.

There are also many kinds of sugar substitutes.

Nutritious, non-nutritive.

Nutritional sugar substitutes, i.e. sugar substitutes that produce calories after consumption, but produce fewer calories per gram than sucrose.

There are three of the most common of these.

Sorbitol, extracted from blueberries in 1872, can be obtained by hydrogenation of glucose cracking in the industry, which is white crystalline, with a sweetness of about half of sucrose, and one gram can produce three calories. Because it has a cool feeling in the mouth and does not cause tooth decay, it is often used to make chewing gum or sugar-free candy.

Mannitol, isolated in 1806, is rich in some brown seaweeds in Asia, it is white crystalline, the sweetness is about 70% of sucrose, one gram can produce two calories, often used to make sugar-free candy or jam.

Xylitol, obtained from the hydrogenation of xylose in 1891, exists in vegetables in nature, and can also be synthesized from hemicellulose in the food industry, the sweetness is about 90% of sucrose, and one gram can produce a large calorie. Since it has the same cooling effect as sorbitol, it is also commonly used in the manufacture of candies, chewing gum or cool lozenges.

The opposite of these nutritional sugar substitutes are non-nutritive sugar substitutes, which are the well-known sugar substitutes that have no calories.

There are also two types of this sugar substitute, one is naturally occurring and the other is synthetic.

The extraction of stevia, also known as steviol glycosides, is made by soaking its dried leaves in water, filtering to separate the liquid from the leaves and stems, and further purifying with water or food-grade alcohol. This is a completely traditional method of plant extraction. It has the characteristics of high sweetness and low caloric energy, its sweetness is 200-300 times that of sucrose, and the calorific value is only 1/300 of sucrose. After a large number of scientific experiments and long-term edible history in other countries, steviol glycosides are non-toxic, have no side effects, no carcinogens, and are safe to eat, and are an ideal sweetener to replace sucrose.

It doesn't affect blood sugar levels or interfere with insulin, giving people with diabetes more flexibility in their budget total calorie intake and helping with weight control. Regardless of how the stevia extract was ingested, it had no effect on GI.

Synthetic sugar substitutes that do not produce calories after eating are also known as "artificial sweeteners". Due to its stable supply, low price and high sweetness, it is widely loved by the food processing industry, and there are several common products on the market today.

Sucralose, discovered in 1976, is a new type of sweetener jointly developed and patented by the British Taylor's company and the University of London. It is the only functional sweetener with sucrose as raw material, and the original brand name is Shanpin Sugar, which can reach 600 times sweeter than sucrose, and the sweetening coefficient of sucralose sweetener in water is about 750 to 500 times higher than that of table sugar. This sweetener has the characteristics of no energy, high sweetness, pure sweetness, and high safety. It is one of the best functional sweeteners available.

Saccharin, the first artificial sweetener discovered, is three hundred times sweeter than sucrose. The white powder, easily soluble in water, stable to heat and cheap, but because of the bitter taste after eating, it was sold in a one-to-ten mix after the advent of sweetener, and saccharin was widely used after that.

Cyclamate, about 30 times sweeter than sucrose. In some studies, it has been found that sweetener is not carcinogenic but may be a cancer promoter, so it was completely banned in the United States in August 1970, but the United Nations International Health Organization and the European Common Market consider it to be a safe food additive. More than 40 countries in the world have approved it. The daily allowance is 11 mg/kg body weight.

Aspartame, a dipeptide made up of aspartate and amphetanine, is 150 to 200 times sweeter than sucrose. It has no bitter taste and high sweetness, but it is unstable to heat, and the sweetness will disappear at high temperatures, so it cannot be used in baked goods, and is currently widely used in candy or low-calorie beverages. Generally, the dosage of aspartame in each can of low-calorie beverage is about 180 mg, because aspartame is very sweet, so the dosage is very small, although it will produce calories, but the calories are negligible.

All of the above are good sugar substitutes, but although they were discovered very early, they have not been used very widely for a period of time, and the dosage is not very high.

The reason is also very simple, because no matter how good the sugar substitute is, its taste is definitely not as good as real sugar.

Especially in our country, for a long period of time, the life of the common people in our country was very bad. Not only is there a lack of oil and water in the stomach, many people can't even eat enough, at this time people urgently need to supplement sugar, even if there are sugar substitutes, who will eat it? In fact, don't go far, even ten years ago, you told the people that eating more sugar is not good for the body, and it is estimated that not many people will listen. Even now, 06 years later, there are only a few people who can realize the future brought about by excessive sugar intake.

It will be 10 years before most hits awaken health awareness.

I still remember that Queen Elizabeth used a mouth full of worm teeth to express her special penchant for sugar, and at that time she would never have imagined that sugar, which was a must-have symbol of high society in that era, would be branded as original sin hundreds of years later.

While the academic community blames sugar as the culprit of obesity and disease and calls for sugar control, the "sugar-free revolution" in the food industry is also spreading rapidly: like low oil, low salt and low fat, low sugar has become politically correct in the food industry. It is also based on this that in the field of big food, "sugar limit" is becoming a new business track.

At the time before Zhou Fangyuan's rebirth, the number of people with high blood sugar, diabetes and "three highs" in China had already exceeded 100 million.

Behind the huge population base that needs to control sugar is the rigid demand of the market that cannot be ignored. What is even more noteworthy is that when more and more research points to the close relationship between obesity and sugar, a larger number of consumers automatically join the camp of sugar control.

In the context of communication at the time, whether it was a serious scientific magazine or a fitness instructor in a fitness club, they worked tirelessly to convey the message to their audiences: sugar is the root of all evil.

In such a public opinion environment, sugar-free food is bound to become popular. Sugar-free foods are solid or liquid foods with a sugar content of no more than 0.5 grams per 100 grams or 100 milliliters. According to INNOVA, a well-known Dutch consulting firm, in 2018, the number of new product launches with the label of "low sugar", "no sugar" or "no added sugar" nearly doubled compared to 2015.

But in fact, from a biological point of view, humans cannot refuse the temptation of sugar, just as addicts cannot refuse powder crystallization. In a sense, sugar creates happiness.

In the history of human development, sugars, as a source of energy, have supported the development and continuation of human society. In the inheritance of the collective consciousness of humans, the human brain has learned to obtain energy again by secreting dopamine – a neurotransmitter that carries messages of pleasure – to stimulate us to get sugar again. Extending inherited genes to the realm of sociology, sweets have become a healing placebo: in many film and television dramas, lovelorn girls stuff sweets to soothe the anxiety caused by emotional failure. The pleasure of the taste buds that makes the brain secrete dopamine makes sugar an indispensable necessity on the human table.

On the one hand, it is based on the needs of health, and on the other hand, it is happiness that cannot be refused, and how to find the best balance between health and happiness has become the key to solving the dilemma. It is in this context that the concept of "sugar substitute" has become the new favorite of the market.

"Sugar substitutes" are the result of the modern chemical industry. Since the birth of the first generation of artificial sugar substitutes "saccharin" in 1879, chemists have successively introduced artificial sugar substitutes such as cyclamate, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose to the market. These sweeteners, while giving food a sweet flavor, have changed the history of sweets because of their small impact on blood sugar and their lack of absorption by the human body.

Especially in the future, "sugar substitutes" have entered the fast lane of development. Up to now, all kinds of sugar substitute foods and beverages have entered the circulation field. There are no less than 10 new products in the category of sugar-free sparkling water, and large companies such as Yili, Nestle, Heytea and even Tsingtao Beer are vying to come up with new ones. At the same time, ready-made tea brands have launched options such as normal sugar, seven-point sugar, semi-sugar, and no added sugar in stores.

In the name of health, under the empowerment of marketing, sugar substitutes are evolving from a concept to an industry. Even industry giants like Coca-Cola have had to succumb to the sugar-free craze: in 2019, Coca-Cola launched more than 1,000 new products worldwide, 400 of which are low- or sugar-free.

In China, Coca-Cola provides consumers with products, and sugar-free categories account for almost half of the country. In addition to Jianyi and Zero, Coca-Cola has successively launched sugar-free drinks such as Coca-Cola Fiber +, Sprite Fiber +, Fanta Zero Calorie, and Schweppes Soda Series in China.

The rise of the new generation of national beverages, Yuanqi Forest, is also due to the concept of sugar-free. On the supply chain side, the rise of the sugar-free concept has also created a boom in the industry.

If sugar control is a good suggestion, then "sugar substitutes" will definitely be a good business. In the marketing environment of pursuing health and reducing sugar intake, how to tell this new story will be the new focus of the "sugar substitute" business.

Zhou Fangyuan put his goal on sugar substitutes.

Medicines are good, but the risks are too great, and the risks are uncontrollable. What's more, Novo Nordisk, the world's largest diabetes drug company, alone occupies half of the global diabetes drug market. Even the medicine and injections taken by Zhou's father were produced by Novo Nordisk. People have a big business and rich experience, to be honest, the distant group to compete with others, it is really a joke.

And there is not only one company in the diabetes market, Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, these are the five giants of the world's diabetes drug market. It can be said that the global diabetes drug market has basically been carved up by these five, leaving a little marginal area at most, reserved for more small companies. If the distant group dares to enter the industry, it will be pressed to death by the other party, and there is no possibility of raising its head at all.

In this case, unless Zhou Fangyuan is stupid, he will try to enter the industry.

On the contrary, the business of sugar substitutes and sugar-free foods can be done. Because at this time, major companies have not yet entered this field, and most of the people who are struggling in the field of sugar-free food are some small companies that are not well-known. They are afraid that they are also playing the sword and going sideways, and want to occupy a market from areas that large companies have not noticed. However, the market for sugar-free food is not clear, and the fear of sugar has not yet appeared, so these companies are also struggling.

Small companies have a thin foundation, and it is certainly not easy to stick to them.

But if it is replaced by the Yuanfang Group, it is different, the Yuanfang Group has a thick foundation and sufficient funds, and the fact that others can't hold on doesn't mean they can't hold on.

Now start to get involved in this field, several years in advance, and when the wave of sugar-free food comes, Yuanfang Group already has a complete set of food library, coupled with the fame of Yuanfang Group, if you want to take the opportunity to occupy the high ground, although it is not easy, but it will certainly not be too difficult, at least it is easier than other companies. After all, when the time comes, the competition will be a time difference, and whoever can come up with mature and delicious sugar-free food first will be able to occupy the market earlier.

This is Zhou Fangyuan's purpose.

This is also a way for him to make money through his father's illness this time.

He had never thought about it before, after all, people are not computers, and it is impossible to type a program to remember everything and arrange everything. As a reborn, Zhou Fangyuan's biggest thing is the "prophet" ability. The reason why he decided not to enter the pharmaceutical industry is only because he really doesn't know much about the pharmaceutical industry, he doesn't know the chemical formulas of those drugs, and he can't remember the different invention times of each drug.

For example, the prospect of the Internet, such as new energy vehicles, such as excellent movies, such as sugar-free food...... When it comes to a specific technology, some people may be able to remember, but this certainly does not include Zhou Fangyuan. So he doesn't bother with drugs or something, and as I said before, although the benefits are big, the risks are also too great, and if you eat bad people, you have to eat a lawsuit. But sugar-free food is different, it is nothing more than replacing sugar with sugar substitutes in the original sugar-added food, and eating is not a bad person, the big deal is that the business is not done, and the risk is far less high than that of drugs. Therefore, Zhou Fangyuan is still more optimistic about the future of sugar-free food than drugs.