BASF and Glycosyn have signed a partnership agreement for the development and commercialisation of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) for broad use in dietary supplements, functional nutrition, and medical food.

The strategic partnership between the German chemicals company and the New Zealand-based carbohydrate specialist includes an exclusive license of Glycosys patent portfolio for gut health beyond infant nutrition to BASF. The agreement aims to improve gastrointestinal health in adolescents and adults, along with broadening the applications of HMO for further health conditions.

As part of the collaboration and under the exclusive license, BASF will extend its offering of the most abundant HMO, 2’-Fucosyllactose (2’-FL) branded PREBILACTM, to a broad range of customers worldwide.

Glycosyn will leverage its scientific expertise and extensive collaboration with the HMO research community to expand the evidence for adult health.

Scientific support

Emerging scientific evidence shows that 2’-FL supports the development and maintenance of healthy gut microbiome and the immune system.

based on its prebiotic functions and the ability to inhibit pathogen adhesion and modulate immune functions, 2’-FL is a very promising agent for digestive health across various age groups beyond infancy.

Tina Low, Vice President, Business Management Human Nutrition at BASF, commented: “Extending the reach of nature-designed HMO molecules from infant nutrition to dietary supplements, functional nutrition, and medical food addresses unmet consumer health needs and unlocks a huge market potential. Partnering with Glycosyn, the pioneer in the field of HMOs, to establish synergies and advance the science on HMOs for human gut health and even beyond, creates significant value for us and profound benefits for consumers."

BASF launched its first HMO, PREBILAC 2’-FL for the infant nutrition market in 2019. By mastering the complete in-house development from strain to downstream processing in Germany, BASF manufactures PREBILAC 2’-FL at the quality and volume levels necessary to supply global human nutrition markets.

John Garrett, co-CEO, Glycosyn, commented: “The time has come to bring the benefits of HMO to consumers worldwide who suffer from gut discomfort or even diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). BASF’s scaled state-of-the-art production and extensive global customer access make it the ideal partner for us to jointly tap into this huge market potential and take nutrition to the next level."

Headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, Glycosyn specialises in the development of HMOs. The company has established and owns a unique intellectual property and know-how in the use of HMOs for the benefit of improving gastrointestinal health of adults, e.g. IBD and IBS as well as for use as prebiotics.