FrieslandCampina gains approval and strain exclusivity in Australia and New Zealand for its Aequival 2’-FL HMO ingredient for infant formula

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FrieslandCampina Ingredients (The Netherlands) 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 has been shown to be 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. “We’re extremely excited about the possibilities FSANZ’s approval opens up for our customers in this region—and beyond,” said Sophie Nicolas marketing manager, Early Life Nutrition, FrieslandCampina Ingredients, in a press release.

“HMOs are the third largest component of human milk, and 2’-FL is the most abundant of these HMOs,” states a FrieslandCampina press release. “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 says preclinical research indicates 2’-FL may play a role in infant brain development and in cognition and learning. It also poses benefits for immunomodulatory activity, reducing the risk of respiratory tract infections, and “inhibiting the adhesion and infectivity of diarrhoea pathogens in vitro.”