Bridging the gap in infant nutrition: precision fermentation of human milk compounds

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dc.contributor.authorNyhan, L.
dc.contributor.authorRessa, A.
dc.contributor.authorLilina, Anastasia
dc.contributor.authorMertens, Stijn
dc.contributor.authorLombardi, Dustie N.
dc.contributor.authorSanchez, Rosa
dc.contributor.authorO'Riordan, Patrick
dc.contributor.authorGai, Nan
dc.contributor.authorBrodkorb, Andre
dc.contributor.authorArendt, E.K.
dc.contributor.funderBioBrew Technologies Inc
dc.contributor.funderBioBrew Technologies Inc
dc.date.accessioned2026-05-11T15:50:02Z
dc.date.available2026-05-11T15:50:02Z
dc.date.issued2026-04-27
dc.description.abstractBackground: Human milk (HM) is a unique nutritional source, tailored to meet infants' needs during early life. However, declining breastfeeding rates, influenced by lactation problems, health-related factors, psychological state, and work-related constraints, have increased reliance on infant milk formula (IMF). Most IMF is derived from bovine milk, which differs substantially from HM in protein composition, fat structure, carbohydrate profile, and bioactive components. These compositional gaps limit IMF's ability to replicate HM functionality with respect to digestibility, nutrient absorption, immune support, and microbiome maturation. Consequently, formula-fed infants may experience accelerated growth, increased susceptibility to allergic reactions, and gastrointestinal issues. Scope and approach: This review examines the compositional and functional limitations of IMF relative to HM, focusing on proteins and human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), and explores how precision fermentation (pFerm), an emerging biotechnology for large-scale production of bioidentical human milk proteins and oligosaccharides, can narrow the HM-IMF gap. We review the pFerm protein and HMO sectors, analysing case studies of both compounds and highlighting challenges and opportunities. Key findings and conclusions: Market analysis shows that pFerm-derived bovine proteins and HMOs are well established, whereas human-derived proteins remain underdeveloped. Case studies of recombinant human lactoferrin and pFerm-derived HMOs demonstrate the ability of these innovations to narrow the HM-IMF gap. Key challenges to adoption include regulatory hurdles, economic scalability, and consumer apprehension regarding the perceived ‘unnatural’ nature of such ingredients. Nevertheless, the rapidly expanding pFerm sector - driven by biotechnological investment and growing consumer acceptance through effective communication - offers considerable opportunities to enhance IMF development through application of pFerm-derived HM compounds.en
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was supported by BioBrew Technologies Inc . The authors would like to thank Rita Hickey for her expertise on human milk oligosaccharides.
dc.description.versionPublished Version
dc.format.extent25
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleid105760
dc.identifier.authororcidNyhan, L.§0000-0002-5839-6103
dc.identifier.authororcidRessa, A.§0009-0005-7558-4762
dc.identifier.authororcidLilina, Anastasia
dc.identifier.authororcidMertens, Stijn
dc.identifier.authororcidLombardi, Dustie N.
dc.identifier.authororcidSanchez, Rosa
dc.identifier.authororcidO'Riordan, Patrick
dc.identifier.authororcidGai, Nan
dc.identifier.authororcidBrodkorb, Andre
dc.identifier.authororcidArendt, E.K.§0000-0001-8414-7701
dc.identifier.citationNyhan, L, Ressa, A, Lilina, A, Mertens, S, Lombardi, D N, Sanchez, R, O'Riordan, P, Gai, N, Brodkorb, A & Arendt, E K 2026, 'Bridging the gap in infant nutrition: precision fermentation of human milk compounds', Trends Food Sci. Technol., vol. 173, 105760. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2026.105760
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.tifs.2026.105760
dc.identifier.issn0924-2244
dc.identifier.otherRIS: urn:C610E2C54DE21D89C95851899B1225AE
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0009-0005-7558-4762/work/214352248
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-5839-6103/work/214353139
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/18745
dc.identifier.volume173
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier Ltd
dc.relation.urihttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105036734332
dc.relation.urihttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105036734332?origin=resultslist
dc.rightsPublisher Copyright: © 2026 The Authors
dc.rights.accessrightsopen access
dc.rights.licensenameAttribution 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.statusPeer reviewed
dc.subjectBreastfeeding
dc.subjectCase-studies
dc.subjectEarliest life
dc.subjectFermentation
dc.subjectHuman milk
dc.subjectHuman milk oligosaccharides
dc.subjectHuman milk protein
dc.subjectHuman milk proteins
dc.subjectInfant milk formula
dc.subjectInfant nutritions
dc.subjectInvestments
dc.subjectMammals
dc.subjectMilk protein
dc.subjectNutrition
dc.subjectPrecision fermentation
dc.subjectProteins
dc.subject[APCMicrobiome]
dc.subject[FoodNutritionalSciences]
dc.titleBridging the gap in infant nutrition: precision fermentation of human milk compoundsen
dc.typeReview
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