Currently, the application range of prebiotics is rapidly expanding. As the "food" for human prebiotics, prebiotics promote the growth and reproduction of beneficial bacteria by providing them with nourishment. Research has found that different types of human milk oligosaccharides can act as prebiotics, helping prebiotics grow and colonize in the gut, potentially becoming the next generation of prebiotics.

A study published in the August 2021 issue of the "Chinese Journal of Food Science" on the progress of research into human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) pointed out that LNnT (a type of human milk oligosaccharide, also known as lacto-N-neotetraose) added to infants' diets increased the relative abundance of bifidobacteria by more than 20 times. The study shows that LNnT provides favorable conditions for the growth of bifidobacteria in infants.

"We have the opportunity to develop probiotic formulations specifically targeting one oligosaccharide while keeping others intact," explained Dr. Lars Bode, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology and Gastroenterology at the University of California, San Diego. "This is because different human milk oligosaccharides offer different health benefits." For example, DSLNT (a type of human milk oligosaccharide, also known as disialyllacto-N-tetraose) can prevent necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants.

Data shows that in 2019, the total output value of the global prebiotic industry was approximately 14.029 billion yuan, with China's prebiotic industry output value at about 2.407 billion yuan. It is expected that by 2025, the global prebiotic industry output value will reach 18.047 billion yuan, with China's prebiotic industry reaching 3.624 billion yuan.

Indeed, through the relentless research and discoveries of synthetic biologists worldwide, more and more human milk oligosaccharides are becoming known. However, there remains debate in the academic community regarding their functions and applications, especially for the widely added 2’-fucosyllactose in infant formula. Some experts have suggested that 2’-fucosyllactose may only be an intermediate product of the industrial mass production of various oligosaccharides and whether it can be considered a true member of human milk oligosaccharides remains to be further confirmed.

Although human milk oligosaccharides have only recently been discovered, they have demonstrated tremendous growth potential and a wide range of applications. As the mechanisms of human milk oligosaccharides are better linked to specific functional areas, their market size is expected to grow exponentially. According to third-party industry research reports, the global market size for human milk oligosaccharide applications is estimated at 4 trillion yuan, with China’s annual demand for human milk oligosaccharides exceeding 14,000 tons, with a market size of 30 to 60 billion yuan.