Namuh and Ginkgo partner to develop infant formula products

US infant nutrition company, Namuh, has partnered with Ginkgo Bioworks to develop functional oligosaccharides that are “structurally identical” to those found in human breast milk.

According to Ginkgo, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are “essential fibre-like nutrients unique to human milk that provide an important energy source to beneficial gut bacteria in infants”.

Namuh aims to create complete infant formula products, comparable to breast milk “down to the molecular level”.

Using Ginkgo’s expertise in yeast strain engineering and fermentation process development, Namuh will be able to produce a wide variety of HMOs through yeast fermentation, which could help make infant formula more nutritionally robust and similar to human milk.

Chaeyoung Shin, founder and CEO of Namuh, said: “Consumer demand for high-quality, safe infant nutrition products is growing, and Namuh is thrilled to partner with Ginkgo to accelerate our market entry into this rapidly evolving category. We believe engineering biology is the perfect way to produce crucial nutrients for babies, and together with Ginkgo, we are excited to play a key role in improving how future generations are fed.”