Abstract
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOS) are the third most abundant solid fraction in breast milk, and that exerts various health benefits to infants. Biosynthesis of lactose and different HMOS is carried out in the Golgi apparatus of lactocytes. Once lactose is synthesized, glycosyltransferases gradually catalyze the linkage of different monosaccharides to its structure. More than 1000 different compounds are thought to be produced via that pathway. They have been classified into fucosyl (FUCOS), nonfucosyl neutral, and sialyl milk oligosaccharides (SIAMOS). Moreover, the ratio between these structures depends on genetic factors such as the secretory gene (Se). In fact, this gene encodes the biosynthesis of FUCOS such as 2’-fucosyllactose (2’FL), which is the most abundant and studied HMO. Due to the important role HMOS play in infant feeding, many in vitro production strategies have been developed and include chemical, enzymatic, and chemoenzymatic synthesis, as well as fermentation. In addition, biological activity of various HMOS has been studied at different levels, both in cell lines and in infants. Among the most important functions associated with HMOS are inhibition of pathogens, prebiotic activity, stimulation of the immune system, and neuronal development. For these reasons, HMOS offer several important potential applications such as additives in the design of infant formulas, functional foods, and food supplements. However, these types of products must comply with strict rules of regulatory agencies. In that regard, it is necessary to increasingly study these compounds to provide a high number of HMOS that can be incorporated and approved for their use and commercialization in functional foods for human health in the future.
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Guzmán-Rodríguez, F., Alatorre-Santamaría, S., Cruz-Guerrero, A. (2022). Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOS). In: Jafari, S.M., Rashidinejad, A., Simal-Gandara, J. (eds) Handbook of Food Bioactive Ingredients. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81404-5_35-1
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