DSM’s acquisition of Glycom opens up new avenues in HMO production

02 Apr 2020 --- Royal DSM has completed its €765 million (US$826 million) acquisition of Glycom, which is a major supplier of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). DSM states that this move enables it to further its position in the Early Life Nutrition and Dietary Supplement space. Outi Armstrong, Global Marketing Communications in Human Nutrition & Health at DSM, tells NutritionInsight that Glycom will become one of DSM’s many operating units during integration to ensure that DSM maximizes sales and cost synergies.

“Our competencies are complementary, and ultimately, we will operate under the same operating model worldwide. This, together with the appealing market conditions, will help to accelerate the growth of the HMO portfolio,” states Armstong. The acquisition was first announced in February, and has proceeded in line with expectations, she notes.

Denmark-based Glycom boasts its own HMO product development, preclinical and clinical programs, regulatory team, as well as large-scale production in its manufacturing plant. Additionally, Glycom will see four HMOs become available this year, which it says will further catalyze the fast-growing HMO market. 

“We warmly welcome the Glycom team to DSM and are proud to call this professional team our colleagues. Together, we will make it possible for our customers to develop efficacious and safe solutions. This is the fundament of both Glycom and DSM values and a part of our promise to help keep the world’s growing population healthy,” says Jeremy Xu, President of DSM’s Human Nutrition and Health.

HMOs are the third-largest solid component of human milk after fat and lactose.Lucrative opportunities in HMOs
HMOs are currently an area of great opportunity within the nutrition space. They are the third-largest solid component of human milk after fat and lactose. Having evolved over thousands of years, they provide people with a range of health benefits, including supporting both immune and cognitive development. As consumers gain awareness of the health benefits of this naturally occurring compound, brands are having to face newly revised regulations regarding its marketing.

There is also significant interest in HMO-use as a dietary supplement and potentially in F&B and pet food applications, and in fulfilling unmet medical nutrition needs, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), notes Armstrong.

“In infants, HMOs help to develop the desired microbiota by serving as a food source for the good bacteria in the intestine. Global consensus supports breastfeeding as the gold standard to give newborns the best start in life. When mothers cannot breastfeed, or choose not to breastfeed, whatever the reason may be, a safe and suitable breast milk substitute should be available and fed to the newborn,” she adds. 

In February, a safety assessment of 3-Fucolsyllactose (3-FL) HMO brought DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences one step closer to the launch of CARE4U 3-FL. The study supports prior research indicating that commercially produced HMOs can mimic some of the health-promoting effects of the HMOs present in human milk. DuPont is also embarking on a four-year project with the APC Microbiome Ireland SFI Research Centre to rebalance the gut bacteria of babies after antibiotics or caesarean-section births. 

By Katherine Durrell