News

DuPont, Inbiose get approval for HMO ingredient

2 Apr 2018

DuPont Nutrition & Health and Inbiose have announced regulatory approval of their first human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) ingredient for infant formula in the European market.

DuPont Nutrition & Health and Inbiose have announced regulatory approval of their first human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) ingredient for infant formula in the European market. Human milk oligosaccharides, complex carbohydrates found in breast milk, are said to be an important breakthrough innovation in infant formula, developing a product with more of the health benefits associated with human milk.

There are more than 100 HMOs found in human breast milk, with 2’-fucosyllactose (2’-FL) being the most abundant. In 2016, Inbiose and DuPont Nutrition & Health (DuPont) announced a joint development and licensing agreement for the exclusive rights to produce and commercialize 2’-FL and other selected fucosylated HMOs for food applications.

“After many years of critical research and significant investment, we are delighted to see the first of our range of human milk oligosaccharides becoming commercially available, thus addressing a major gap in the nutritional composition of infant formula,” said Prof. Wim Soetaert, Inbiose executive chairman. “Thanks to our successful collaboration with DuPont, our first HMO is now commercialized, with many others to come.”

“The substantial equivalence dossier for 2’-FL received EU Novel Food approval in December 2017,” said Paul Tenning, regulatory affairs manager, EMEA, for DuPont, “and we are excited to be able to bring this important new ingredient for infants and children into the European market.”

2’-fucosyllactose, which will be marketed by DuPont under the brand name CARE4U, is already approved for use in dietary supplements, with potential applications related to digestion and immune health.

DuPont notes that, until recently, complex carbohydrates such as HMOs were not available in larger quantities from extractive sources (e.g., cow’s milk), and the few that could be chemically synthesized were prohibitively expensive. Inbiose developed a proprietary platform technology to produce specialty carbohydrates such as human milk oligosaccharides. This fermentation-based production method has now been developed to industrial levels, allowing the large-scale production of 2’-FL that is said to befully identical to the 2’-FL HMO found in human milk.

“Our competency lies in the rapid development of cost-effective production methods for specialty carbohydrates,” said Joeri Beauprez, Inbiose CSO. “Through our platform technology, we will continue to excel in the production of such ingredients, making these ingredients and their health benefits available to society at large.”

“We will be the leading supplier of HMOs for infant nutrition and beyond,” said Steen Lyck, global business development leader for DuPont. “Our unique experience and capabilities give DuPont the ability to leverage synergies with multiple HMOs and probiotics; 2’-FL is just the beginning.”