AUSTRALIA – FrieslandCampina Ingredients has been granted approval and strain exclusivity in Australia and New Zealand for its Aequival 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) ingredient for infant formula.

2′-FL is one of the key human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) that provide optimum conditions for beneficial gut bacteria in infants, which aids infant development.

Food Standards Australia, New Zealand (FSANZ) granted the Aequival 2′-FL HMO strain a 15-month exclusivity.

Sophie Nicolas marketing manager, Early Life Nutrition, FrieslandCampina Ingredients said: “We’re extremely excited about the possibilities FSANZ’s approval opens up for our customers in this region—and beyond.

The company said HMOs are the third largest component of human milk, and 2′-FL is the most abundant of these HMOs.

In addition, 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.

 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.

 The company noted preclinical research indicates 2′-FL may play a role in infant brain development and cognition and learning. It also poses benefits for immunomodulatory activity, reducing the risk of respiratory tract infections, and “inhibiting the adhesion and infectivity of diarrhea pathogens in vitro.

Meanwhile, the manufacturers of high-quality value-added functional ingredients and solution has also launched a significant extension of its Vana-Sana range of high-quality micro-encapsulated long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) ingredients for infant milk formula (IMF).

The new algae and fungi oil-based infant milk formula ingredient names are Vana-Sana DHA algae 20L, Vana-Sana ARA 20L, and Vana-Sana DHA algae 11N.

Directly responding to the demands of today’s parents and care providers, including high oil content, the products are from seven to 20% -, as well as ARA and DHA, derived from different sources including protein-free varieties for plant-based applications.

The clean-label trend has also been addressed through the removal of dipotassium phosphate, a buffering agent, and silicon dioxide, a flow agent.

DHA and ARA are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs mostly derived through placental transfer and are present in breast milk – but synthesis is limited in infants, meaning dietary intake is considered essential.

DHA and ARA are mostly known for their role in brain development and the case of DHA, for visual function.

The company said its DHA and ARA-containing oil products from plant sources ‘outperformed competitive ingredients concerning encapsulated quality, dispersibility, and stability – despite their high oil load’.

Moreover, these are the first DHA and ARA ingredients with a lactose-based encapsulation – a commercial first that offers significant advantages to glucose-encapsulated alternatives.

Micro-encapsulating oils within a powder matrix protect them against oxidation, makes them much easier to handle, and provide increased formulation flexibility.

The primary fresh additions to the range, Vana-Sana DHA algae 20L and Vana-Sana ARA 20L, feature high oil loads of 20g DHA and 20g ARA respectively per 100g of powder – almost double the typical concentrations of comparable ingredients, the company claimed.

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