Webinar preview: dsm-firmenich spotlights HMO health benefits, R&D and emerging trends

12 Feb 2024 --- Amid a growing interest on the potential health benefits of human milk oligosaccharides (HMO), dsm-firmenich is set to explore the health benefits that multiple HMO strains can have on infant and early childhood development.

Ahead of its upcoming webinar “Revolutionizing infant nutrition: Health benefits of human milk oligosaccharides in early life development” hosted by Nutrition Insight, we meet up with the team from dsm-firmenich to discuss the latest HMO research and trends.

“The audience can expect a presentation of the latest clinical studies showing the evidence and importance of multiple HMOs in early life development as well as dsm-firmenich's capabilities in producing the biggest commercially available HMO product portfolio with the largest global market access” Daniel Engi, marketing dsm-firmenich, tells us. “They can also learn more about the biological activities of HMOs from in vitro, preclinical and clinical studies.

HMOs influence the composition and metabolic function of the infant microbiota.Dr. Sharon M. Donovan, professor and Melissa M. Noel endowed chair in nutrition and health at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, US, adds that she will “provide an overview of the findings from clinical trials of HMO in healthy term infants as well as a deeper dive into the findings of a recent trial of five HMO on microbiome outcomes in term infants.” 

The speakers will also discuss ongoing R&D and market trends. The panel will feature Dr. Donovan, James Young, vice president of early life nutrition at dsm-firmenich and Taichi Inui, the company’s head of regional science translation and advocacy.

Latest research
In the webinar, the team will detail recent scientific findings about HMO use for early life nutrition. Engi states: “We will highlight one of the clinical studies that was concluded with dsm-firmenich HMOs. This is one of the largest HMO studies conducted.” 

“Emerging evidence, particularly in preclinical models, suggest that HMO influences cognitive development, potentially by acting through the gut-microbiome-brain axis,” notes Dr. Donovan, hinting at some of the aspects of HMO health outcomes that she will discuss during the webinar. 

“HMOs influence the composition and metabolic function of the infant microbiota. In addition, HMOs reduce the risk of infection and affect infant immune development,” she adds. “Our understanding of the biological activities of HMOs is rapidly evolving as more experimental and clinical data become available. For example, microbes beyond bifidobacteria have the potential to utilize HMO.”

Market trends
Innova Market Insights data indicates a 28% average annual growth in global infant nutrition with HMOs from October 2022 to September 2023. 

In addition to scientific developments, dsm-firmenich will also examine other developments in the market. Engi comments: “We will present some insightful information on market trends as well as some of the key infant formula players on the market.” 

“We believe in HMOs and see that consumer awareness is growing. Therefore, we expect a very bright future for HMOs. They will play a fundamental role in infant formula going forward..”

Also addressing the current trends in the HMO product market, Dr. Donovan adds: “We now have infant formulas that contain five to six HMOs, compared to one or two. We are also seeing clinical trials of HMO beyond infancy. Infant formulas are the most common product supplemented with HMOs.”

“As more HMOs receive regulatory approval and are brought to market, we will see standard infant formulas for term infants with more complex combinations of HMOs. Clinical trials suggest that HMOs may also have benefits across the lifespan and for infants with special medical indications.”

Just last month, four more HMO ingredients by dsm-firmenich were cleared for use in infant formula by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

In a recent interview, Dr. Marta Miks, senior regulatory and scientific affairs manager at dsm-firmenich informed us that HMOs have been authorized for usage in multiple food categories including conventional foods and beverages and dietary supplements, targeting a potential consumers from infancy to the elderly.

By Milana Nikolova