Nestle is debuting a new infant formula containing a proprietary blend in Hong Kong in November 2023. The blend is said to be an “all-round” nutrition for supporting multiple growth areas, including digestive, bone, and cognitive health.
The new product is an upgrade to the existing NAN InfiniPro range of infant formulas, which contains five human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), namely 2-Fucosyllactose (2-FL), Lacto-N-tetraose (LNT), 6-Sialyllactose (6-SL), 3-Sialyllactose (3-SL), and Difucosyllactose (DFL) and the Bifidus Lactis CNCM I-3446 probiotic strain.
By using the new proprietary blend known as Sinergity, the new product will contain 3-Fucosyllactose (3-FL) as the sixth HMO and Bifidobacterium infantis LMG11588 as the second probiotic strain.
An additional HMO is added as research has shown that the composition of HMOs in human breastmilk changes during the lactation period.
Nestle said that the combination of these elements could create a synergistic effect, resulting in a dominance of Bifidobacterium, which through their metabolic activity can lead to a more favorable gut environment and stronger immunity in the infant.
For instance, Bifidobacterium infantis LMG11588 has shown the ability to efficiently absorb and metabolise HMOs, thereby producing key beneficial compounds.
A research by Nestle published in Nutrients last year showed that Bifidobacterium infantis LMG11588 would preferably feed on fucosylated HMOs, such as 2-FL and diFL, with a feeding rate of 81 per cent and 41 per cent respectively.
The strain feeds on other HMOs to varying degrees, such as 17 per cent for LNT, 15 per cent for 6-SL, and 12 per cent for 3-SL.
“We have discovered the important benefits of combining our proprietary B. infantis probiotic with a blend of six HMOs.
“Leveraging our innovation expertise, we developed this breakthrough solution by successfully translating the new scientific findings, scaling-up the production of the probiotic and carefully adapting the levels of six HMOs according to age,” said Isabelle Bureau-Franz, Head of Nestlé’s R&D for Nutrition.
According to Nestle Nutrition Hong Kong, the Sinergity blend is designed to support age-appropriate growth, digestive health, bone, muscle, cognitive development, and the immune system.
“This new product serves as an all-round nutrition option through its support of age-appropriate growth, digestive health, bone, muscle, and cognitive development as well as the immune system.
“Together this contributes to a child’s overall health and well-being both in the short and long-term.”
Like the existing NAN InfiniPro range, the new product is also a whey partially hydrolysed infant formula (pHF-W), which is said to be easier to digest, reduce the antigencity of milk protein, and prevent allergies.
Sales channels
Hong Kong is the first market to debut the new product, which will be sold in drugstores chains, supermarkets, and online.
The same product will also be available in mainland China via cross-border e-commerce.
A trending ingredient in infant nutrition, HMOs recently received a regulatory breakthrough in China, where the regulator has approved the use of 2-FL and LNnT in infant formula.
As the third largest solid component in human breast milk, HMOs are not absorbed by the body, but they act as foods for the beneficial bacteria in the gut.
This in turn helps the beneficial bacteria, such as those from the Bifidobacterium species, to colonise the gut and produce beneficial short chain fatty acids.
Nestle said that the new blend would be rolled out in Latin America by towards the end of 2023 and will be sold in Europe early next year under the NAN Supreme pro brand.
