FOOD SCIENCE ›› 2021, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (19): 379-387.doi: 10.7506/spkx1002-6630-20200925-315

• Reviews • Previous Articles    

Recent Advances in in Vivo Metabolism and in Vitro Synthesis of Breast Milk Oligosaccharides

CHEN Qingxue, SHI Fengyi, ZHAO Lina, LIANG Shengnan, Masumuzzanm MD, HUO Guicheng, LI Bailiang   

  1. (Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150036, China)
  • Published:2021-11-12

Abstract: Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are unique nutrients in breast milk, which have complex and multifarious structures. Different HMOs may have different functions. In this article, we summarize the latest progress in understanding the individual difference, structural diversity and functional activity of HMOs. We put a special focus on the metabolic pathway in human body and the synthetic pathway in vitro of HMOs. Finally, we discuss the current status of the application of HMOs in infant formula and problems facing HMOs research and application. The application of HMOs in infant formula is a major breakthrough and it has great potential in narrowing the gap between formula-fed infants and breast-fed infants in intestinal flora composition, immune function and cognition capacity. In-depth studies of HMOs will offer the theoretical basis for the developement of new infant formula.

Key words: human milk oligosaccharides; structural diversity; metabolism; synthesis; probiotics; current applications

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