1954: The first HMO, lacto-N-fucopentaose I (LNFP I), is discovered by German researcher Karl Meyer.
1980s: More HMOs are identified by different researchers, including lacto-N-difucohexaose I (LDFH I), lacto-N-tetraose (LNT), and 2’-fucosyllactose (2’-FL).
1990s: Researchers begin to study the potential health benefits of HMOs, including their ability to prevent the attachment of harmful bacteria in the gut.
2000s: Advances in technology, including mass spectrometry and gene sequencing, make it easier to study and produce HMOs in large quantities.
2015: The first commercially available HMO, 2’-fucosyllactose (2’-FL), is launched by the company Jennewein Biotechnologie.
2016: The Human Milk Oligosaccharides for Health and Development (HMO4HD) consortium is established to further study the potential benefits of HMOs.
2018: Nestlé launches an infant formula containing two HMOs, 2’-fucosyllactose (2’-FL) and lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT).
2020: The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approves the use of HMOs, specifically 2’-fucosyllactose (2’-FL), in infant formula.
2021: US-based nutrition start-up Layer Origin Nutrition has launched seven supplements containing human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) for both adults and children.
References:
Bode L. Human milk oligosaccharides: prebiotics and beyond. Nutr Rev. 2009 Feb;67 Suppl 2:S183-91. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00189.x. PMID: 19386040.
Thurl S, Munzert M, Boehm G, Matthews C, Stahl B. Systematic review of the concentrations of oligosaccharides in human milk. Nutr Rev. 2017 Jun 1;75(6):920-933. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nux037. PMID: 28938796.
Zivkovic AM, German JB, Lebrilla CB, Mills DA. Human milk glycobiome and its impact on the infant gastrointestinal microbiota. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Aug 16;108 Suppl 1:4653-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1000083107. Epub 2010 Dec 22. PMID: 21177492; PMCID: PMC3063602.
McGuire MK, McGuire MA. Got bacteria? The astounding, yet not-so-surprising, microbiome of human milk. Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2015 Apr;32:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2014.06.007. Epub 2014 Jul 3. PMID: 24997026; PMCID: PMC4250204.
Boehm G, Moro G. Structural and functional aspects of prebiotics used in infant nutrition. J Nutr. 2008 Dec;138(12):2502S-2504S. doi: 10.1093/jn/138.12.2502S. PMID: 19022964.
European Food Safety Authority. Scientific Opinion on the safety and suitability of 2'-O-fucosyllactose as a novel food ingredient in several food categories. EFSA Journal. 2020;18(1):5931. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2020.5931.
3'-sialyllactose is the most abundant sialylated human milk oligosaccharide in human milk and has pivotal roles in the developing human gut microbiome. Recent research has also shed light on how this HMO could also have a critical role in bone health, even offering some hope for a new future osteoporosis therapy.
