Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), first identified in the mid-1950s, are a class of complex mixed oligosaccharides present in human milk, which are mainly composed of five monosaccharides, namely glucose (Glc), galactose (Gal), N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), fucose (Fuc), and sialic acid (Sia). Currently, more than two hundreds human milk oligosaccharides have been successfully identified.

With the progress of science and technology and the depth of clinical research, the composition and function of human milk oligosaccharides have been revealed one by one. It has been found that human milk oligosaccharides not only have a great influence on the growth and development of infants and children, but also have the effects of supplementation, digestion and health promotion for adults, and can be widely used in the fields of functional foods, dietary supplements, functional beverages, infant formulas and special medical foods.

As people's lifestyles change and living standards improve, a new type of food and beverage with the functions of regulating functions, improving intestinal tract, and facilitating sleep for specific groups of people is emerging. Research shows that human milk oligosaccharides can be added to food or beverages to improve the intestinal flora, immunity and tumour prevention for children, adolescents, adults and the elderly, and are a new ingredient for functional food and beverages.

In recent years, domestic and foreign beverage manufacturers are committed to the research and development of functional and innovative ingredients. In this regard, China's food industry analyst Zhu Danpeng said, “The core of competition in the future beverage market is the competition of the formula.” The core of the formula is raw materials, and will eventually focus on the innovation of functional raw materials.

Currently, beverage manufacturers pay more attention to the regulation of intestinal flora, enhance immunity, improve sleep and other functional innovations. They launch functional products to meet women's needs for intestinal health and beauty and body shaping. Also, facing the male is biased in favour of dietary, protein and other nutritional supplements. These functions drive consumption of the young consumer groups aged 20-24 years old, as well as the elite consumer groups aged 40-49 years old.

Through the segmentation of consumer groups, functional foods and beverages has grown into the field of nutrition and health of the “big block”. “Research and Market” expects the global functional foods and beverages markets to reach $229.1 billion by 2027, and to maintain a compound annual growth rate of 6.3%.