Engineered plants may hold the key to enhancing the nutritional value of infant formula to match that of human breast milk, according to recent research.
Currently, around 75% of infants globally rely on formula during their first six months. While formula provides essential nutrients, it lacks the diverse prebiotic sugars found in breast milk, which are crucial for disease prevention and promoting healthy gut bacteria.
Scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Davis, have made strides in addressing this gap. Their study, published in Nature Food, demonstrates how genetically modified plants could produce human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), the complex sugars present in breast milk.
Patrick Shih, the senior author of the study, explained that plants possess the natural ability to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugars. By reprogramming this process, researchers successfully engineered Nicotiana benthamiana plants to generate 11 different HMOs, including LNFP1, a particularly beneficial five-monosaccharide HMO.
Collin Barnum, the study’s lead author, highlighted that traditional methods using microbial fermentation struggle to produce certain HMOs at scale. In contrast, the engineered plants could potentially streamline production, offering a cost-effective solution.
The team’s findings represent a significant advancement, suggesting a future where infant formula could be fortified with a broader spectrum of HMOs, mirroring the benefits of breast milk more closely. Despite challenges in scaling and commercialization, the research points to a promising direction for improving infant nutrition globally.
Funding for the study was provided by several organizations, including the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy, underscoring the importance of this innovative approach in nutritional science.
