The Muscle Mag
The offering is designed to support the development of a microbiome similar to that of breastfed infants, enhancing the immune system, gut microbiome, and overall developmental outcomes to bridge the gap between breastfed and non-breastfed infants.
“Our collaboration with Lallemand Health Solutions marks a significant advancement in the early-life nutrition sector,” said James Young, Vice President of Early Life Nutrition at dsm-firmenich. “With our expertise in HMOs and Lallemand’s top-notch probiotics, we are set to establish a new benchmark for synbiotics in infant nutrition.”
Isabelle Champié, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Lallemand Health Solutions, remarked, “Our Expert’Biotic probiotic strains for babies have been clinically studied in over 1,600 infants, demonstrating safety and efficacy.”
Teaming up with dsm-firmenich’s HMOs, she explained, has resulted in solutions that can lay a solid foundation for infant health by supporting microbiome development during the critical early-life period.
HMOs and probiotics
The most significant changes in the gut microbiome occur in the first year of life. Probiotics play a role in shaping the infant microbiome during this period, aiding in healthy growth and development.
A well-balanced microbiome composition and development in infancy offer various health benefits like enhanced gut barrier function against harmful microorganisms, proper development of the infant’s immune system, and normal functioning of the gut-brain axis influencing brain development, as noted in studies.
HMOs, a significant component in breast milk, act as prebiotics that support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria in infants and aid in developing a healthy microbiota and immune system.
Studies have shown that specific HMOs can selectively promote the growth of specific probiotic strains, enhancing the production of metabolites crucial for gut health, natural defenses, cognition, growth, and development.
“When HMOs are combined with probiotics, synergistic synbiotic solutions emerge that amplify the benefits of each component,” Champié noted.
By combining HMOs with probiotics that utilize HMOs as their substrate, dsm-firmenich and Lallemand Health Solutions have created synergistic combinations that support infant health and optimal development.
The emergence of synbiotics
The biotics market is witnessing a rise in synbiotic solutions, according to Ewa Hudson, Director of Insights at Lumina Intelligence, as highlighted in NutraIngredients. This is due to the acknowledgment that combined biotics can enhance probiotic survival and viability in the GI tract.
Based on Lumina Intelligence data, synbiotics now account for 38% of biotic products in Europe, surpassing pure probiotic supplements in online engagement in the first half of 2023. The global synbiotic products market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.5% from 2023 to 2030.
