Market Trends of Global Human Milk Oligosaccharides Industry
Increasing Awareness About The Health Benefits Associated With HMO
Good nutrition helps build the foundation for a child's ability to learn, grow and thrive. For babies, the best nutrition is breast milk due to special prebiotics called human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). They are the largest solid component of breast milk after carbohydrates and fat. Various clinical data in infants indicate that Human Milk Oligosaccharide helps to develop the desired microbiota by serving as a food source for the good bacteria in the intestine. Naturally occurring in breast milk, HMOs have evolved over thousands of years. HMO research (clinical and preclinical) suggests that specific HMOs at the correct level of supplementation can provide babies with unique health benefits. In particular, Human Milk Oligosaccharide supports immunity and gut health, with a potential role in cognitive development, which may open future innovation opportunities and thus, would increase the demand for HMOs globally. According to research conducted by Abbott Nutrition, a specific HMO, 2'-FL or 2'-Fucosyllactose, can provide health benefits to a growing baby and plays a role in supporting the development of a strong immune system.
For instance, in July 2021, Inbiose, one of the leading biotech companies active in the development of Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs), announced that it submitted its application for a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) approval by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) of four HMOs, specifically 6'-Sialyllactose (6'SL), 3-Sialyllactose (3'SL), Lacto-N-Tetraose (LNT) and Lacto-N-neoTetraose (LNnT). Inbiose announced that it would also file for Novel Food approval of these HMOs by the European Commission (EFSA) and is preparing a global regulatory roll-out. Inbiose planned to obtain regulatory approval for these HMOs in 2022 and was currently organizing its industrial production in infant nutrition, dietary supplements, and functional food and beverages.
Asia-Pacific Holds a Singnificant Share in the Market
Asia-Pacific accounts for a significant market share; wherein, market growth includes an ever-expanding reach in infant formulas and functional beverages, the rise of the dairy industry, and rapid technological advancements in the product line. In addition, changes in lifestyles focused on nutritious foods are likely to increase the need for products. Among all the applications, the use in infant formulas registers significant participation with the rise in the inclusion of HMO in prebiotics in terms of volume for this market. Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMO) respect the prebiotic properties as it helps develop commensal bacteria and the increasing demand for functional food, and dietary supplements for better health and digestion, the market for HMO is expected to grow in the region during the forecast period.
Another factor boosting the human milk oligosaccharides market in Japan is the desire for high-nutrition foods and digestive supplements among both children and adults. HMOs, enhance metabolic activity by promoting bacterial growth in the stomach, particularly in the Bifidobacterium species. Japanese consumers have been very conscious about regularly replenishing the bacterial flora in their gut and perceive probiotic bacteria to be the best solution, which is further driving the market in the country.
