AQUON Wins Young Prize at WFT26, Accelerates Expansion into Functional Bio-Materials Market

AQUON Accelerates Transformation into a Functional Bio-Materials Platform
Commercializing High-Value Bioactive Ingredients through Advanced Lactucin and Saponin Enrichment Technologies

•  2026.06.12 07:47 
• 기자명  박종면 기자

Miran Kim (right), Head of AQUON’s Blue-Green Research Institute, receives the Young Prize and poses for a photo with Organizing Committee Chair Kum-sil Kang at the World FoodTech 2026 ConfEx held at KINTEX, Goyang, South Korea, on June 9.

AQUON Co., Ltd., a specialist in freshwater and seawater integrated aquaponics smart farming systems, announced that it received the Young Prize, awarded to next-generation food-tech innovators, at the World FoodTech 2026 ConfEx (WFT26) held on June 9 at KINTEX in Goyang, South Korea.

The event, co-hosted by World FoodTech Council and Seoul National University, brought together food-tech companies, researchers, and industry leaders from around the world to discuss food security, climate resilience, and sustainable food production.

AQUON has been developing a next-generation production platform that integrates agriculture and aquaculture through its circular aquaponics technology utilizing both freshwater and seawater. The company received recognition for its proprietary Mesocosm-based control technology, which maximizes resource circulation efficiency, significantly reduces water consumption, and enables the production of high-quality functional crops.

The company's core technology originates from ecological data and environmental control expertise accumulated by marine ecology researchers at Seoul National University. Based on this foundation, AQUON has developed its “4-Zero Platform,” an indoor recirculating production system designed to eliminate contamination from wastewater, pesticides, antibiotics, and radioactive substances, creating a sustainable environment for both food production and functional bio-material development.

AQUON has also achieved notable progress in enhancing bioactive compounds through aquaponics cultivation. In an ongoing commercialization project with the Jeollanam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services involving the functional lettuce variety Heukharang, the company successfully increased the concentration of lactucin, a bioactive compound associated with sleep-supporting properties, compared to conventionally cultivated lettuce.

In addition, AQUON's research demonstrated that aquaponically cultivated ginseng sprouts can contain up to eight times higher saponin levels than those grown through conventional methods. These findings highlight the potential of the company's platform not only in food production but also in the development of ingredients for nutraceuticals, botanical pharmaceuticals, and functional cosmetics.

Earlier this year, AQUON launched ONE ROOT TEA, a premium ginseng sprout tea brand that showcases the commercial application of its cultivation technology. Each tea bag contains a whole pesticide-free ginseng sprout grown through the company’s aquaponics system. The product line includes four lifestyle-oriented blends—Leaf Tea, Beet Tea, Pu-erh Tea, and Heukharang Tea—designed to complement different moments throughout the day while delivering the rich flavor and benefits of an entire ginseng root in a single cup.

Beyond agricultural production, AQUON is strategically transforming into a B2B bio-material platform company supplying high-value functional ingredients. The company plans to expand research on the standardization of bioactive compounds such as lactucin and saponins while strengthening partnerships with domestic and international food, biotechnology, and healthcare companies.

AQUON is also accelerating its global expansion efforts. The company recently signed a memorandum of understanding with National University of Mongolia and is preparing demonstration projects for container-based net-zero food production systems capable of operating in extreme environments with temperatures below –40°C. Through these initiatives, AQUON aims to expand its climate-resilient smart farming solutions into international markets.

Miran Kim, Head of AQUON’s Blue-Green Research Institute, commented:

“Receiving the Young Prize is meaningful recognition of both the technological excellence and commercial potential of AQUON’s circular aquaponics platform. We will continue expanding into the functional bio-material and bio-ingredient industries and strive to become a leading company in the global climate-tech and food-tech sectors.”

Founded on technologies developed by researchers from Seoul National University, AQUON is a deep-tech company dedicated to advancing sustainable food production platforms and functional bio-material development while contributing to the growth of the next-generation blue-green industrial ecosystem.

Source: HYUNDAI MARINE (https://www.hdhy.co.kr)