Probiotics, proteins and folate: Meeting the evolving demands of infant nutrition

05 Oct 2023 --- As scientific understanding of early-life nutrition continues to evolve, so does the infant nutrition market. Parents increasingly seek safe, nutritious and sustainable options for their babies and producers and suppliers operating in the space face new challenges and opportunities.

Nutrition Insight delves into the latest trends and innovations and how industry players are adapting to meet the evolving needs of both infants and their parents, in conversation with experts from Arla Foods Ingredients, Chr. Hansen, Fonterra, Gnosis by Lesaffre and Lallemand Health Solutions.

Infant nutrition is an increasingly expanding market and Innova Market Insights data suggests that product launches in the baby and toddler category experienced 5% growth globally from 2018 to 2022 (CAGR), while baby formula and milk was the leading subcategory for baby and toddler launches in 2022. Additionally, the data suggests that nearly half of the launches for babies and toddlers had an organic claim and suggests a steep growth in product launches with a plant-based claim, which have grown +62% from 2018 to 2022 (CAGR).

Industry agrees that meeting safety concerns are one of the highest current priorities in the infant nutrition market.

“We invest in ensuring the highest level of product safety,” says Dr. Katja Parschat, the head of research and development (R&D) at Chr. Hansen HMO. “When delivering products intended for infant use, including preterm babies, Chr. Hansen has implemented the strictest production processes.”

“Extra requirements include extended contamination testing and stricter environmental monitoring and cleaning before production to eliminate any risks of contamination,” she continues. “Our Infant Grade standard is a safety standard that goes far beyond what is generally required by most markets and ensures that our products are safe to consume for even the most vulnerable human beings.”

Romane Maillet, product manager at Lallemand Health Solutions.Lallemand Health Solutions states that, in the contemporary landscape of infant nutrition, there are a range of challenges and prospects and the company is proactively tackling them by adhering to regulatory norms, conducting comprehensive research and exploring avenues for market entry to deliver secure and efficient infant nutrition solutions on a global scale.

“Regulatory approval is often a complex process in the infant nutrition market,” reveals Romane Maillet, the company’s product manager. “The company recognizes the importance of complying with stringent regulations to ensure product safety and efficacy.”

“For example, Lallemand Health Solutions achieved a significant regulatory breakthrough with (the Brazilian health regulatory agency) ANVISA’s approval of Probiokid for use in infants and children aged 3 to 36 months in Brazil. This milestone reaffirms the company’s strong regulatory and scientific foundation and opens doors to the Brazilian market.”

Angela Rowan, Head of Innovation Advanced Nutrition at Fonterra, notes that safety regulations are one of the biggest challenges in the infant nutrition market. 

“We all acknowledge that breastmilk is best for babies and provides the ideal nutrition and physiological support for growth and development, and that there remain gaps in the outcomes for breast and formula-fed babies,” says Rowan. 

“Even though it is possible to measure compositional differences between breastmilk and infant formula, and to then use new processes or novel technologies to make ingredients that can help address the gaps, new ingredients must demonstrate short- and long-term safety — especially if that ingredient is considered to be a ‘bioactive.’”

The companies agree that, in light of these challenges, getting as close as possible to breastmilk in formulations is key.

Probing probiotics
According to Maillet, Lallemand Health Solutions is actively investigating the potential application of probiotics in infant nutrition. She further adds that specialized probiotics have the potential to support the balanced and natural development of specific microorganisms in infants, promoting healthy gut function, integrity and aiding in the proper development of the immune system and tolerance to allergens.

She highlights that the company aims to create probiotic strains tailored for infant consumption to support early-life health and development. She adds that probiotics are available in user-friendly formats like powders and drops and notes that some strains are compatible with infant formula. 

Furthermore, Maillet says many probiotics can be blended with other beneficial components such as vitamin D, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) or inulin to foster positive synergies.

“Lallemand Health Solutions has developed Probiokid, the world’s leading pediatric probiotic formulation, backed by a comprehensive review of clinical studies published in Nutrients,” Malliet elaborates. “Probiokid is specifically designed for pediatric use and combines Lactobacillus helveticus Rosell-52, Bifidobacterium infantis Rosell-33, Bifidobacterium bifidum Rosell-71 and fructooligosaccharides. With a total of 28 clinical studies, Probiokid is one of the most extensively studied probiotic formulations for children.”

Fonterra reveals that it also has two “hero” probiotic ingredients, which the company developed more than 20 years ago.Angela Rowan, Head of Innovation Advanced Nutrition at Fonterra.

“Our SureStart Lactocaseibacillus rhamnosus HN001 and Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 have been used in many clinical studies to support digestive health and immunity,” says Rowan. Specifically, HN019 supports the development of bifidobacterial balance in the infant gut and helps protect against colds and flu (upper respiratory tract infections), as well as supporting gut regularity in adults.”

Toward a healthy infant gut
Claudia Stoecker, the commercial industry manager for infant and children’s health at Chr. Hansen states that the company provides a wide range of products in the infant nutrition sector, encompassing both prebiotics and probiotics and including HMOs and probiotic strains.

She adds that, in the realm of probiotics, this comprises the most extensively researched Bifidobacterium — BB-12 — and the most comprehensively studied probiotic strain, LGG. Moreover, these two strains have been investigated in over 200 human studies and have shown their associations with promoting gastrointestinal and immune health in infants. In addition, she says that the company also has two new probiotic strains for infant health recently introduced to the market — ISTILOS B. infantis and L. plantarum, PPLP-217. 

“The period after birth is believed to be crucial for the establishment of a healthy gut microbiome,” she reveals During these first 1000 days of a babies’ life, a healthy and balanced microbiome is characterized by a high number of bifidobacteria, which are important for the development of the immune system and intestinal function.” 

“In a newly published clinical study, the ISTILOS B. infantis probiotic strain has been demonstrated to seed and thrive in the infant gut and is believed to support infants’ gut barrier function and development of the immune system. PPLP-217 has shown to efficiently colonize the infant gastrointestinal tract in combination with fructooligosaccharides as well as in high-quality clinical trials to support a well-balanced microbiome, lower the risk of health challenges and support healthy growth-for-age in infants.”

Beyond Biotics
Gnosis by Lesaffre says that it offers infant solutions that can speak to the “1-6” of a baby’s life – meaning the critical first six months of infant development. According to Gnosis by Lesaffre’s global market manager Silvia Pisoni, a thriving infant typically experiences a twofold increase in birth weight by the sixth month of life. Consequently, it requires significant quantities of nutrients to support comprehensive and optimal system development. 

She further reveals that this nutrition regimen should encompass essential elements such as beneficial fats, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin K2 and folate (vitamin B9) and says the company’s folic acid offering Quatrefolic — a glucosamine salt of (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), structurally akin to the active and reduced form of folic acid — ensures enhanced bioavailability, which is a crucial aspect for both mother and child.

“The “1-6” actually begins in utero, and here is where Quatrefolic helps support maternal and newborn health,” says Pisoni. “Adequate folate intake is particularly important for pregnant women, with a requirement of 5 – 10-fold higher than those who are not pregnant. Folate is required for the fetus to reduce the risk of premature birth and low birth weight.”

“Folate also plays a direct role in the production of DNA in our body – it is needed in the formation of red blood cells and is vital for cells in our body to grow and divide,” she adds. However, she remarks that, like many other essential nutrients, humans cannot make folate on their own — it needs to be obtained from foods or supplements. 

“Form is crucial,” she spotlights. “Vitamin B9 is a generic group of related compounds that includes folic acid, which is the synthetic form, and the naturally occurring form 5-MTHF. It is 5-MTHF which is the naturally occurring form that constitutes up to 98% of B9 in red blood cells and serum.”

The power of protein
According to Viorela Indolean, the industry marketing manager for early life nutrition at Arla Foods Ingredients, Human breast milk unarguably stands as the optimal source of nourishment for infant growth and development. Nevertheless, in situations where breastfeeding isn’t feasible, formula serves as a crucial alternative. Therefore, the primary objective for formula producers is to identify components that enable them to approach the composition of human breast milk more closely. 

This is why she says alpha-lactalbumin — of which Arla Foods Ingredients is the world’s largest manufacturer — holds such significance. Abundant in essential amino acids, it represents the most prevalent whey protein in human breast milk, accounting for approximately 25% of its overall protein content and, when incorporated into infant formula, it can help to fine-tune the protein composition.

“We recently launched Lacprodan ALPHA-50, a new alpha-lactalbumin-rich ingredient,” Indolean reveals. “Alpha-lactalbumin accounts for a minimum of 90% of its protein content, which means smaller dosages can be used to optimize the protein and alpha-lactalbumin levels in infant formula. It can also be combined with other functional ingredients, such as Lacprodan MFGM-10, a milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) ingredient which contains compounds such as phospholipids, sphingomyelin and gangliosides.”

Indolean highlights the companies two alpha-lactalbumin enriched items, namely Lacprodan ALPHA-10 which contains a minimum of 41% alpha-lactalbumin protein and Lacprodan ALPHA-50 which has a minimum of 90% alpha-lactalbumin protein. Additionally, she underlines that Lacprodan OPN-10 was the pioneering osteopontin product introduced to the EU market.

“Osteopontin is a whey protein, high levels of which have been identified in human milk, whereas only small quantities are present in cows’ milk and infant formula,” she concludes. “Our infant nutrition portfolio also includes Lacprodan MFGM-10 – a whey protein concentrate featuring the benefits of milk fat globule membranes (MFGMs).”

By William Bradford Nichols