Human Milk Oligosaccharides

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are complex carbohydrates and represent the third largest component in human milk ¹³⁸Soyyilmaz, B., Mikš, M. H., Röhrig, C. H., Matwiejuk, M., Meszaros‐matwiejuk, A., & Vigsnæs, L. K. (2021). The mean of milk: A review of human milk oligosaccharide concentrations throughout lactation. Nutrients, 13(8), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082737. Over 200 different HMO structures have been identified so far ⁴⁶German, J., Freeman, S., Lebrilla, C., & Mills, D. (2008). Human milk oligosaccharides: Evolution, structures and bioselectivity as substrates for intestinal bacteria. Nestle Nutrition Workshop Series: Pediatric Program. https://doi.org/10.1159/000146322, and scientific substantiation of the wide range of benefits they can bring is rapidly expanding. As one of the leaders in the oligosaccharide ingredients space for over two decades already, we offer a growing portfolio of HMOs* for early life nutrition applications.

HMOs are categorised into three subgroups: non-fucosylated neutral, fucosylated neutral and acidic HMOs ⁴⁶German, J., Freeman, S., Lebrilla, C., & Mills, D. (2008). Human milk oligosaccharides: Evolution, structures and bioselectivity as substrates for intestinal bacteria. Nestle Nutrition Workshop Series: Pediatric Program. https://doi.org/10.1159/000146322. Our portfolio covers a variety of HMOs, reflecting a wide spectrum of structures, abundance in human milk and functionality. We believe that a combination of HMOs can confer diverse health benefits in early life.