In May last year , the General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the " Notice on the First Batch of Industry Standards Formulation, Revision and Foreign Language Version Project Plan in 2023". The China Bio-fermentation Industry Association and others undertook the formulation of the "Fermentation Succinic Acid" industry standard project, which is scheduled to be completed in May 2025. The standard is called "Bio-based Succinic Acid". Currently, the standard project is open for public comments within the industry.

　　Succinic acid, also known as succinic acid, has the chemical name 1,4- succinic acid. It is a white crystal or crystalline powder, soluble in water, slightly soluble in ethanol, ether and acetone. It is an intermediate product of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and also one of the fermentation products of anaerobic metabolism. It is widely used in medicine, pesticides, dyes, spices, paints, food, plastics and other industries. It can also be used as a four-carbon sugar platform compound to synthesize some important chemical products, such as butanediol, tetrahydrofuran, γ -butyrolactone, n -methylpyrrolidone, 2- pyrrolidone, etc. In addition, succinic acid can also be used to synthesize degradable biopolymers, such as polybutene succinate and polyamide. At present, the preparation process of succinic acid is mainly petrochemical method and fermentation method. The fermentation method uses starch or sugar as raw materials, and produces succinic acid through fermentation, extraction, refining and other processes. " Compared with traditional petrochemical methods, the production of succinic acid by microbial fermentation has many advantages, such as : low production cost; using renewable agricultural resources including carbon dioxide as raw materials, reducing dependence on petrochemical raw materials, and reducing the pollution of the environment by chemical synthesis processes. " The person in charge introduced that in GB 2760 , succinic acid is used as a flavor and fragrance in the food industry as a food acidifier and for seasoning wine, feed, candy, etc.; at the same time, it can also be used as a modifier, flavoring substance and antibacterial agent.

　　According to the survey of the actual production and application of succinic acid, this standard is applicable to the production, inspection and sales of succinic acid produced by fermentation for industrial or food processing. According to the person in charge of the standard drafting unit, this standard combines the current status of production quality control of Chinese enterprises, fully meets the requirements of industry development, and plays a leading role in the industry.

　　" This standard was formulated based on sufficient research and verification, and stipulates 12 quality technical indicators such as sensory requirements, identification methods, and ingredient content. The specified technical indicator parameters refer to relevant domestic and international standards. " The above-mentioned person in charge pointed out that the standard stipulates that bio-based succinic acid is made from starch or sugars as raw materials through microbial fermentation, separation, purification, etc.

　　The standard specifies that the succinic acid content must be ≥99.5% and the bio-based content must be ≥90% . It also stipulates that the moisture content must be ≤0.4% , the ignition residue content must be ≤0.1% , the chloride content must be ≤0.002% , the sulfate content must be ≤0.01% , the iron salt content must be ≤0.001% , the oxidizable substance must be ≤0.4% , the heavy metal content must be ≤0.001% , and the total arsenic content must be ≤1 mg / kg.

　　Industry insiders believe that the standard will set comprehensive and unified requirements and specifications for bio-based succinic acid in terms of raw materials, production processes, quality specifications, packaging, transportation, storage, etc., which can promote the advancement of production technology, optimize product structure, and improve product safety, reliability and quality. At the same time, it can better meet the needs of the application end and enhance the competitiveness of my country's succinic acid products.