Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Medicinal Food Resources is based on the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and the School of Food Science and Technology of Nanchang University. With the approval of the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Science and Technology, the key laboratory was established in 2015 in accordance with the strict requirements of the provincial key laboratory. The key laboratory passed the acceptance check in 2020 with excellent results. Targeting the unclear distribution of botanical resources of medicinal food in Jiangxi Province, the weak research foundation of its chemical substances, and the unclear mechanism of the function of active ingredients, the key laboratory conducts research on botanical resources such as Cinnamomum camphora seeds to solve the key scientific and technical issues in medicinal food phytochemistry analysis, screening and utilization of biologically active parts of medicinal food plants. The key laboratory has formed a research team with candidates of national and provincial talent plan as leaders, young and middle-aged academic members as the backbone. A high-level research platform has been built up, and the cost of the existing equipment is more than ¥17 million. The floor area for experiment is more than 700 square meters. The laboratory institutes a working system of director in general charge unified management, responsibilities shared at different levels, and coordinated operation. The goal of the laboratory is to become an important base for organizing high-level scientific research, cultivating outstanding talents, and carrying out academic exchanges.

The Key Laboratory takes advantage of its multidisciplinariness and interdisciplinariness to carry out basic theoretical and applied technology research in three fields: (1) screening, separation and biotransformation of active ingredients in medicinal and edible homologous plant resources, (2) physiological function mechanisms and product development, and (3) preparation of porous carbon materials from biomass resources. Among them, the research on the physiological function and mechanism of action of medium-chain oil and the high-value utilization technology and product creation of Cinnamomum camphora seeds takes the lead internationally.