Cherin Lite Oil Surpasses One Million Bottles Sold as State-Backed Investors Fuel Over RMB 100 Million Series A Financing, Sparking a Biotech Revolution in the Edible Oil Industry

VCBeat has recently learned that,“Zhidai Tech,” a high-tech biotechnology company specializing in low-burden lipid substitution, has completed its Series A financing round, raising over RMB 100 million. The round was led by SCGC (Shenzhen Capital Group Co., Ltd.), with participation from Jianhua Fund, Changzhou Hongtu Medical Health Industry Investment Fund, Changzhou Weichi Investment, and Anyu Capital. Anyu Capital also served as the financial advisor for this financing round.Since its establishment in 2021, ZhiDai Technology has secured consecutive investments from Xiong Qingyun (former Vice President of Procter & Gamble Greater China and former Chief Marketing Officer of XPeng Motors), Jiuhe Ventures, and Sidao Capital. This financing round marks renewed recognition from professional healthcare investors and mainstream state-owned capital for the company’s development direction in functional reduced-burden fats and oils. The funds raised will be allocated to the construction of a R&D base for ZhiDai Technology’s globally leading low-fat, low-calorie edible oils; the construction of a second mass-production facility for its flagship product, Qingyun Reduced-Burden Oil; clinical efficacy studies; and the expansion of marketing and sales channels.

“LipidTech” was founded in Beijing in August 2021 as a high-tech biotechnology enterprise dedicated to the research and development of low-burden lipid substitutes. Its flagship product categories currently include high-purity diacylglycerol (DAG) edible oil, which can reduce triglyceride burden by up to 95%, and a globally leading patented product line of low-calorie lipids. The founder, Cui Liming, brings extensive experience in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and health food sectors, having previously served as Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble China and General Manager of the Mengniu Telunsu brand. Over the past two years, under the leadership of Dr. He Lin, Chief Technology Officer and a core founding member of Yihai Kerry’s China Oil Chemical R&D Center, the company has leveraged its proprietary enzyme formulations and a nationally patented passive heterogeneous continuous reactor.Became the first company globally to achieve large-scale mass production of diacylglycerol (DAG) products with a purity exceeding 95%. In 2024, sales of the company’s “Qingyun” brand reduced-burden oil exceeded one million bottles, ranking first in online sales across all platforms in this category.(Issued by Chapman Consulting Group with a Sales Verification Certificate: Qingyun Light-Load Oil, China’s Diacylglycerol Oil, Ranks No. 1 in Nationwide Online Sales)。Since then, ZhiDai Tech has achieved a full-loop closed ecosystem, spanning from its proprietary R&D platform and mass-production facilities to B2B operations and direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales under its own brand.

China’s annual consumption of edible oil exceeds 40 million metric tons, ranking first globally. In 2024, the market size for all categories of edible oils in China surpassed RMB 600 billion. The demand side, supply side, and policy landscape of the edible oil sector are undergoing significant industry transformations. On the demand side, China’s edible oil market exhibits a “polarized” characteristic: consumption of basic oil varieties is downgrading, while demand for premium oil varieties is surging, resulting in market structural differences across regions and consumer groups. This contradiction, characterized by “fierce competition at the low end and absence at the high end,” is compelling companies to accelerate innovation and break through market barriers. Traditional oil varieties remain dominated by the “iron triangle” of soybean oil, rapeseed oil, and peanut oil, while premium oil varieties are rapidly rising on the wave of health-conscious consumption. According to a report by Boyan Consulting,In 2025, the market size of functional oils in China will exceed RMB 15 billion, maintaining a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10%-15%. As a representative category of functional oils, diacylglycerol (DAG) oil accounts for nearly 25% of the market share, significantly higher than the 8% recorded in 2020.Functional foods have already become an integral part of the national health strategy. As an essential staple in East Asian dietary culture, edible oils are driving the industry’s transformation from basic consumer goods toward more functional products within the broader health and wellness sector.

Founder Cui Liming stated: Whether it is vegetable oil, animal fat, or coconut oil, olive oil, and camellia oil—widely regarded by the public as premium and healthy options—the core component of ordinary edible oils consists of over 98% triglycerides, the same substance measured in our medical checkup reports. Excessive intake of triglycerides adversely affects health. The remaining 2% comprises rare natural components known as diacylglycerols (DAG). As a “non-accumulating fat,” DAG follows a metabolic pathway entirely distinct from that of triglycerides; it is rapidly metabolized for energy upon entering the body and is unlikely to be stored as fat. The Japanese nutrition community was the first to refer to diacylglycerols as “fat bombs,” emphasizing their role in promoting fat burning. Since 1999, Japan’s Kao Corporation has commercially produced high-purity diacylglycerol oil, which has been approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as a “Food for Specified Health Uses” (FOSHU), with claims that it helps reduce visceral fat and suppress weight gain.

The average daily consumption of cooking oil per capita in China reaches 80.27 grams, which is three times the recommended daily intake of 25–30 grams advised by the World Health Organization and the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents.Cui Liming noted that Chinese cuisine emphasizes the perfect combination of color, aroma, and taste, with a preference for stir-frying. This unique cooking method has led to a high demand for edible oil among the Chinese population. Therefore,Under Chinese dietary habits, it is difficult for the average person to significantly reduce their daily consumption of cooking oil.China leads the world in the incidence of chronic diseases caused by lipid metabolism disorders, with one of the core contributing factors being the heavy reliance on cooking oils inherent in the Chinese culinary tradition that “no dish is complete without oil.” The latest statistical data from 2024 show that the prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia among Chinese adults aged 18 and above is 27.9%, 40.4%, and 12.4%, respectively.In March this year, Lei Haichao, Director of the National Health Commission, announced during the Two Sessions the official launch of the three-year “Weight Management Year” action plan, elevating obesity prevention and control to the level of a national strategy. This marks China’s transition in health management from a focus on “treating disease” to “preventing disease.”

Consequently, adopting healthier cooking oils has emerged as a more viable strategy for promoting dietary health. Compared with conventional cooking oils primarily composed of triglycerides, diacylglycerol (DAG) oil, which can significantly reduce fat accumulation, has become a new focal point in the edible oil industry. Numerous scientific studies have found that DAG oil offers certain benefits in reducing body fat and regulating blood lipid, blood glucose, and uric acid levels. Extensive clinical research indicates that long-term consumption can reduce visceral fat and suppress weight gain. To validate the efficacy of diacylglycerol components and identify core solutions to alleviate the burden of dietary oil intake in three daily meals among the Chinese population, Zhidai Technology has consistently engaged in science-based evidence collaborations with leading medical institutions. After a year-long systematic study, Zhidai Technology, in collaboration with an expert team from the Health Science Center of Peking University, completed the largest-scale human double-blind study on diacylglycerol oil in China. Through rigorous double-blind controlled trials, it was confirmed that high-purity diacylglycerol oil achieved clinically significant improvements over ordinary vegetable oils in six health indicators, including blood lipids, fatty liver, and body fat.

After receiving safety certification from the U.S. FDA in late 2000, diacylglycerol (DAG) technology came into the global public eye and achieved breakthroughs in industrialized production between 2000 and 2005, rapidly becoming an internationally best-selling healthy oil. In China, in 2009, the Ministry of Health’s Announcement No. 18 listed DAG oil as a new resource food (later reclassified as a novel food ingredient), accelerating the process of market regularization. By 2021, DAG oil was included in the National Health Commission’s catalog of novel food ingredients that had terminated review, allowing its use as a food ingredient.According to regulations, the diacylglycerol content in diacylglycerol oil must be ≥40%.The year 2024 was undoubtedly a milestone for the diacylglycerol (DAG) oil industry, as more than 20 leading enterprises, including Yihai Kerry and Louis Dreyfus Company, intensively released their corporate standards for “Diacylglycerol Oil,” marking the industry’s entry into a new phase of technical standardization.

Unlike countries such as those in Europe, the United States, and Japan, which have approved the use of chemical methods to prepare diacylglycerol oil,Under current Chinese regulatory requirements, the production of diacylglycerol oil (DAG oil) must employ enzymatic hydrolysis.Enzymatic hydrolysis operates under mild conditions, avoids chemical residues, and complies with food safety standards. However, while ensuring food safety and efficacy, the pure biological enzymatic hydrolysis method imposes stringent requirements on preparation processes and production costs.

The diacylglycerol (DAG) content in DAG oil must be ≥40%; a higher DAG content confers greater fat-reducing efficacy and commands a higher price.Currently, the price of 500-milliliter bottles in the Chinese market ranges from RMB 100 to RMB 800. Due to the high cost, diacylglycerol (DAG) oil struggled to gain market traction for a long period, which was one of the reasons why major edible oil companies initially refrained from making significant investments in related products.

To drive down costs, ZhiDai Tech has devoted substantial time to independently developing enzymatic biotechnology and purification techniques for diglyceride components, and also engagedDr. He Lin, formerly a R&D expert at Yihai Kerry, a leading global oleochemical enterprise, serves as CTO to spearhead research efforts. Unlike traditional oil pressing and extraction processes, the production of diacylglycerol (DAG) oil is a purely bio-based manufacturing process that requires the R&D and production team to possess comprehensive industry experience spanning lipid science, food safety, fine chemical engineering, medical nutrition, and bioengineering.. After three years of R&D and production line construction, Zhidai Technology has finally achieved industry-leading product performance, cost efficiency, and flavor profile on its first large-scale mass production line.

Currently, Zhidai Technology is the first enterprise in China to achieve mass production of diacylglycerol (DAG) oil products with a purity exceeding 95% on its production lines. On the cost front, Zhidai’s brand, Qingyun Lightweight Oil, offers a leading price-to-performance advantage across its full range of DAG oil products within comparable concentration series. This advantage stems from the company’s proprietary process, which has overcome the long-standing bottleneck of imported enzyme preparations that previously constrained Chinese enterprises. By utilizing self-developed compound enzyme preparations—with costs more than 70% lower than imported enzymes—and combining them with China’s first passive heterogeneous continuous reactor, Zhidai has achieved complete domestication of high-quality DAG oil production. This technology not only significantly improves the conversion and purification efficiency of diacylglycerols but also preserves natural nutrients in edible oils, such as unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, and phytosterols. Furthermore, it ensures that Zhidai Technology’s DAG oil delivers “reduced burden without compromised taste,” matching traditional triacylglycerol oils in smoke point, mouthfeel, flavor, and color.

Finally, and most importantly in the view of the founding team, leveraging their extensive expertise in the food and oils & fats sectors, the company pursues consumer experience with utmost dedication. “As a Chinese food brand with a sense of social mission and responsibility,First, we pursue food safety to the utmost; our product’s ingredient list contains no additives other than base edible oils. Second, we aim to fully satisfy consumers’ inherent expectations for this category in terms of taste.“, so from day one, Qingyun Light-Load Oil has strived to ensure that our diacylglycerol (DAG) oil matches the taste of traditional triacylglycerol (TAG) oils, or even offers a more delicate aroma,” said Cui Liming. “We welcome all partners to visit our R&D Center’s sensory laboratory for blind taste tests comparing Qingyun Light-Load Oil with all other DAG oils on the market across various cooking methods.”

Currently, the price of Qingyun LiteLoad Oil’s standard-purity product is approaching that of olive oil, attracting a loyal customer base focused on health and lipid metabolism concerns.

The winds are gradually shifting, and major oil corporations have begun to take notice of this niche sector. This May, Jinlongyu (Wilmar International) launched its diacylglycerol (DAG) oil brand, “Fengyitang Qingxinyi,” marking the initiation of its healthy food strategy. In the face of entry by industry giants, Cui Liming expressed excitement rather than panic. Cui stated, “This precisely validates the strategic vision we have maintained over the past four years: functional healthy oils represent an inevitable trend in development. If no major players are entering your market segment, you should reflect on whether your direction addresses a pseudo-demand or an overly niche need.”

Regarding the competition that Qingyun’s weight-management diacylglycerol oil faces from industry giants and various market participants, Cui Liming believes that the curtain on the development of the diacylglycerol oil industry has only just begun to rise. With industry penetration well below 1%, current players cannot be considered competitors but rather collaborative partners; by jointly educating the market, they can accelerate the emergence of this category into the public spotlight. Today, as metabolic health issues surge globally, with more than 3 billion people living under the shadow of chronic diseases driven by obesity and lipid metabolism disorders, the edible oil market—valued at over RMB 500 billion—is standing at a critical tipping point for transformation. Against this backdrop,LipidTech’s Qingyun Light-Load Oil, leveraging its proprietary patented technology system, large-scale industrial implementation capabilities, and leadership in biotechnological innovation, is ushering in a new era of elevated competition in the functional oils market with a disruptive approach.

Cui Liming further stated that “Zhi Dai Tech” is, as the name suggests, an abbreviation for “Lipid Substitution Technology.” This signifies that the company’s mission is to focus exclusively on one endeavor: vertically integrating and deeply specializing in the research and development of low-burden healthy lipid technologies and related products. He believes thatUnlike traditional oil enterprises that merely pursued economies of scale and coverage through conventional supermarket channels, next-generation functional oil companies should prioritize long-term development by leveraging globally leading R&D capabilities, clinical evidence-based research, professional and in-depth consumer education, and precise brand positioning.

SCGC’s investment team statedAs a healthier edible oil, diacylglycerol (DAG) oil can effectively reduce total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and other related indicators in sub-healthy populations through long-term consumption, thereby lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases. In March this year, the National Health Commission launched the three-year “Weight Management Year” initiative, emphasizing that prevention is better than cure. Therefore, investing in Zhidai Technology aligns with SCGC’s longstanding investment logic focused on hard-tech enterprises and reflects its social responsibility as a state-backed investment institution.

Data sources referenced in this article:

1. Analysis Report on Market Trends and Prospects of Diacylglycerol (2025), IndustryWorld.com, May 2025

2. Functional Oils Can Play a Role in the Prevention and Control of Chronic Diseases, China Food News Observation, 2025-06

3. Qin Liyuan, Yi Zhe, Zhang Yumei, et al. Effects of Qingyun Fat-Reducing Oil (Diacylglycerol Oil) on Lipid Accumulation and Lipid Metabolism [C]. Abstracts of the 21st Annual Meeting of the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology. 2024.

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