FrieslandCampina secures Aequival® 2’-FL approval and strain exclusivity in Australia and New Zealand

FrieslandCampina Ingredients, the global innovator in healthy and functional ingredients for early life nutrition, has announced the approval by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), of its Aequival^® 2′-Fucosyllactose (2′-FL) ingredient for infant milk formula. The company will be granted a 15-month exclusivity for its specific strain. As a result, infant milk formula producers in the region now have access to a 2’-FL provider with a leading experience in early life nutrition ingredients. 

2'-FL is a type of human milk oligosaccharide (HMO). HMOs are the third largest component of human milk, and 2’-FL is the most abundant of these HMOs^[i]. Thanks to its bifidogenic effects, which science continues to reveal, it is an ingredient of increasing interest to consumers, professionals and infant milk formula brands alike. 2’-FL and other HMOs help provide the optimum conditions for beneficial gut bacteria, particularly Bifidobacteria, to thrive.^[ii] A gut microbiota composition dominated by Bifidobacteria not only supports gut health in itself; it has been shown to have widespread beneficial effects for infant development.^[iii] Growing numbers of consumers recognise the importance of gut health and are increasingly seeking science-backed ingredients that are advantageous to it.^[iv]

Researchers continue to discover and validate the health benefits enabled by this ingredient, which include immunomodulatory activity^[v], reducing the risk of respiratory tract infections^[vi] and inhibiting the adhesion and infectivity of diarrhoea pathogens in-vitro^[vii]. Pre-clinical research has shown 2’-FL may also have a role in brain development, cognition and learning^{[viii],[ix],[x]}

“While this is exciting news both for us as a business, and for infant milk formula producers in Australia and New Zealand, it’s actually only part of the story,” comments Sophie Nicolas, marketing manager, Early Life Nutrition, FrieslandCampina Ingredients. 

“2’-FL is a great start, but we believe that including a variety of HMOs in infant milk formula may offer a wider range of health benefits. That’s because each has a different mode of action. Some play a role in the establishment of the infant gut microbiota and its metabolism, while others can prevent pathogens attaching to intestinal cells and causing infection. As a result, our focus is on expanding our HMO portfolio, launching LNT, 3’-SL, 6’-SL and 3-FL. In fact, samples of Aequival^® LNT are already available for customers to trial. The size of our ingredient portfolio, and the rate of its expansion, are attributable to our 75-year history in early life nutrition ingredients. Our long heritage is also extremely valuable for infant milk formula brands when it comes to formulation advice, analytical expertise and technical support.”

Nicolas adds: “We’re proud to have been a world-leading expert in oligosaccharides for over 20 years with our Vivinal^® GOS, and we entered the HMO market in 2019. That means we hold unique experience in designing and developing infant milk formula that leverages the nutritional potential of all these oligosaccharides. We’re extremely excited about the possibilities FSANZ’s approval opens up for our customers in this region - and beyond - as we strive to bring forward the very bright future of early life nutrition ingredients.”

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^[i] Soyyilmaz, B., Mikš, M. H., Röhrig, C. H., Matwiejuk, M., Meszaros‐matwiejuk, A., & Vigsnæs, L. K. (2021). The mean of milk: A review of human milk oligosaccharide concentrations throughout lactation. Nutrients, 13(8), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082737

^[ii] Marcobal et al. Consumption of human milk oligosaccharides by gut-related microbes. J Agric Food Chem, 2010

^[iii] Stark, P. L. & Lee, A. The microbial ecology of the large bowel of breast-fed and formula-fed infants during the first year of life. J Med Microbiol 1982

^[iv] Innova Market Insights. FrieslandCampina Ingredients Early Life Nutrition consumer insight survey, 2020

^[v] Goering et al. Similar to those who are breastfed, infants fed a formula containing 2’-fucosyllactose have lower inflammatory cytokines in a randomized controlled trial. J Nut, 2016

^[vi] Puccio et al. Effects of infant formula with human milk oligosaccharides on growth and morbidity: a randomized multicenter trial. J Ped Gast & Nutr, 2017

^[vii] Laucirica et al. Milk Oligosaccharides Inhibit Human Rotavirus Infectivity in MA104 Cells. J Nutr, 2017

^[viii] Oliveros et al. Oral supplementation of 2’-fucosyllactose during lactation improves memory and learning in rats. J Nutr Bioc, 2016

^[ix] Vazquez et al, Dietary 2′-fucosyllactose enhances operant conditioning and long-term potentiation

via gut-brain communication through the vagus nerve in rodents. PLoS ONE. 2016

^[x] Vázquez et al, Effects of a human milk oligosaccharide, 2′-fucosyllactose, on hippocampal long-term potentiation and learning capabilities in rodents. J Nutr Bioc, 2015