“Big bet” on early life nutrition: Nestlé’s Sinergity launch blends probiotics with HMOs

Nestlé’s Sinergity, an early-life nutrition product tailored for gut health and similar to breast milk, is rolling out across Latin America and the Middle East, following its European debut. Further launches in Asia will take place later this year.

Under the baby formula NAN brand, Sinergity’s proprietary blend combines probiotics with six human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) that are structurally identical to those found in breast milk. Breast milk is widely considered the gold standard for infant nutrition.

The Sinergity brand claims this combination helps contribute to a more favorable gut environment and stronger immunity in early childhood.

“Nestlé is at the forefront of providing the most advanced, science-based solutions to support nutrition,” says Laurent Alsteens, global head of Infant and Early Childhood Nutrition at Nestlé.

“Our products containing HMOs are available in over 50 countries. With parents seeking the best for their little ones, we continue to invest in products with proven benefits, creating an opportunity for growth of trusted brands in this area.”

With over 30 years of research in the HMO space, Nestlé pursues innovations in this area and shares its knowledge with the health community around the world.

Nestlé says NAN Sinergity is one of its six “big bets” for 2025. The company sees significant growth potential in this innovation, as it addresses evolving consumer expectations and needs.

Milking wide applicability of HMOs

A growing body of evidence demonstrates that HMO ingredients to bridge the gap between breast milk and formula can support the gut microbiota, digestive health, and immunity of infants, children, and adults.

In recent activities, Indonesia granted dsm-firmenich safety clearance for its Escherichia coli K-12 DH1 MDO strain used in the production of the HMO called 2’-Fucosyllactose (2’-FL). Commercially known as Glycare 2FL 9000, the ingredient has applications in flavored liquid milk drinks for ages three and older.

Last month, functional ingredients manufacturer Beneo and Wacker, a European chemical supplier of biotechnology solutions, launched their own 2’-FL ingredient globally.

Beneo anticipates the global demand for HMOs to grow significantly, from an estimated US$180 million in 2022 to around US$900 million by 2032, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of more than 17%.

This predicted growth is supported by an increasing number of infant-formula product launches featuring HMOs, which rose from 4% to 20% between 2018 and 2023.

Nutrition Insight previously spoke with experts in the field to explore how the companies are developing personalized versions of these compounds for advanced baby formulas. Innovation highlights include Novonesis’ MyOli 5 HMO Mix and dsm-firmenich’s seven HMO blends at commercial scale.