阅读说明：本技术 喷雾干燥的乳-n-岩藻戊糖 (Spray-dried lacto-N-fucopentan ) 是由 S·詹尼温 于 2018-12-07 设计创作，主要内容包括：公开了一种制备基本上由至少一种乳-N-岩藻戊糖组成的喷雾干燥粉末的方法、所述喷雾干燥粉末、其用于制备营养组合物的用途以及含有所述喷雾干燥粉末的营养组合物。(A method of preparing a spray-dried powder consisting essentially of at least one lacto-N-fucopentose, said spray-dried powder, its use for preparing a nutritional composition and a nutritional composition containing said spray-dried powder are disclosed.)

1. A spray-dried powder consisting essentially of at least one lacto-N-fucopentose produced by microbial fermentation.

2. The spray-dried powder of claim 1, wherein the spray-dried powder contains at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 93%, at least 95%, or at least 98% by weight of lacto-N-fucopentose.

3. The spray-dried powder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lacto-N-fucopentose is present in an amorphous form.

4. The spray-dried powder according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the spray-dried powder contains ≦ 15 wt.% water, preferably ≦ 10 wt.% water, more preferably ≦ 7 wt.% water, most preferably ≦ 5 wt.% water.

5. The spray-dried powder of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the spray-dried powder is free of genetically engineered microorganisms and nucleic acid molecules from genetically engineered microorganisms.

6. A method of preparing the spray-dried powder according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the method comprising the steps of:

a) purifying milk-N-fucopentose from the process stream;

b) providing an aqueous solution containing lacto-N-fucopentose of step a); and

c) spray drying the solution of step b).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of purifying the milk-N-fucopentose from the process stream (step a)) comprises one or more of the following steps:

i) removing microbial cells from the fermentation broth and/or lysing the cells to obtain a process stream;

ii) subjecting the process stream to at least one ultrafiltration;

iii) treating the process stream at least once with a cation exchange resin and/or at least once with an anion exchange resin;

iv) subjecting the process stream to at least one nanofiltration and/or diafiltration;

v) subjecting the process stream to at least one electrodialysis;

vi) treating the process stream at least once with activated carbon; and/or

vii) subjecting the process stream to at least one crystallization and/or precipitation step.

8. The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein the aqueous solution contains at least 20 wt/vol%, 30 wt/vol%, 35 wt/vol%, and up to 45 wt/vol%, 50 wt/vol%, 60 wt/vol% lacto-N-fucopentose.

9. A process according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the aqueous solution containing lacto-N-fucopentose is spray-dried at a nozzle temperature of at least 110 ℃, preferably at least 120 ℃, more preferably at least 125 ℃, and less than 150 ℃, preferably less than 140 ℃ and more preferably less than 135 ℃.

10. A process according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the aqueous solution containing lacto-N-fucopentose is spray-dried at an outlet temperature of at least 60 ℃, preferably at least 65 ℃, and less than 80 ℃, preferably less than 70 ℃.

11. Use of the spray-dried powder according to any one of claims 1 to 5 for the preparation of a nutritional composition, preferably an infant formula.

12. A nutritional composition containing the spray-dried powder according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

13. The nutritional composition according to claim 12, further comprising at least one additional HMO, wherein the at least one additional HMO is a neutral HMO or a sialylated HMO.

14. Nutritional composition according to claim 12 or 13, wherein at least one neutral HMO is selected from the group consisting of 2' -fucosyllactose, 3-fucosyllactose, lacto-N-tetraose, lacto-N-neotetraose, lacto-N-fucopentaose I, lacto-N-fucopentaose II, lacto-N-fucopentaose III and lacto-N-fucopentaose V.

15. Nutritional composition according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the at least one sialylated HMO is selected from the group consisting of 3 '-sialyllactose, 6' -sialyllactose, sialyllacto-N-tetraose (L ST) -a, L ST-b, L ST-c and disialyllacto-N-tetraose.

16. Nutritional composition according to any of claims 12 to 15, wherein the nutritional composition contains at least one probiotic microorganism.

Background

In addition to lactose, one liter of human breast milk also contains oligosaccharides up to 20 g/L, the so-called "Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs)", HMOs represent the third most abundant component in human breast milk it is speculated that there are more than 150 structurally distinct oligosaccharides in human milk typically contains 10 to 13 major HMOs, which are present at concentrations of a few grams to a few hundred milligrams per liter (Thurl et al, (2017), Nutrition Reviews 75 (920) and 933), HMOs include neutral HMOs and acidic HMOs containing one or more sialic acid moieties the structure and complexity of these oligosaccharides in most milk are characteristic of human milk as shown in table 1, while none of the other mammalian species (e.g. domesticated cows) are found.

The probiotic effect of HMO has been discovered more than 100 years ago, HMO is able to modulate the Human gut microbiome by feeding beneficial bacteria in recent years several other functional effects of HMO have been studied, especially its effect on neonatal development, HMO is known to act as a decoy (decoy) to reduce the risk of infection by bacterial and viral pathogens that adhere to Human cells by binding to cell surface glycoproteins, in addition, various HMOs have anti-inflammatory effects and act as immunomodulators.

HMOs include several structurally distinct lactofucopentaoses (lactofucopentaoses). The most distinctive porphyridium lacteus pentose is:

lacto-N-fucopenta I (L NFPI; Fuc (α 1, 2) Gal (β 1, 3) GlcNAc (β 1, 3) Gal (β 1, 4) Glc),

lacto-N-fucopenta II (NPFII; Gal (β 1, 3) (Fuc (α 1, 4)) GlcNAc (β 1, 3) Gal (β 1, 4) Glc),

lacto-N-fucopenta III (L NFPIII; Gal (β 1, 4) (Fuc (α 1, 3)) GlcNAc (β 1, 3) Gal (β 1, 4) Glc), and

lacto-N-fucopentan V (L NFPV; Gal (β 1, 3) GlcNAc (β 1, 3) Gal (β 1, 4) (Fuc (a1, 3)) Glc).

The first step in the beneficial effects of HMOs on artificially fed infants is the addition of HMOs alone to the infant formula. However, it would be better to supplement infant formulas with a combination of structurally different HMOs, as the combination of structurally different HMOs would have an effect that is more similar to its original source (human milk) and cannot be produced by HMOs alone.

The limited supply of HMOs alone for supplementation of infant formula has led first to the development of chemical synthesis of HMOs, followed by the development of biocatalytic methods using purified enzymes. Fermentation of genetically engineered bacterial cells is now used to produce different HMOs on a commercial scale (WO 2015/150328 a1, WO 2017/043382 a1, WO 2010/070104 a1, WO 2012/097950 a 1). HMOs synthesized by bacterial cells can be purified from fermentation broths or cell lysates to produce substantially pure HMO preparations, making them useful in human foods, especially infant foods.

During its purification, lacto-N-fucopentose is present in the form of a liquid process stream (process stream). With purification, the concentration of lacto-N-fucopentose in the process stream increases. However, aqueous solutions of lacto-N-fucopentose are very susceptible to bacterial or fungal contamination. Therefore, it is preferable to provide lacto-N-fucopentose in the form of a dried product having a low water content so that the growth of microorganisms is not possible.

Typically, the sugar is obtained in solid form by crystallization. The crystallization of HMO alone has been described as follows: 3-fucosyllactose (WO 2014/075680A), 2' -fucosyllactose (WO 2011/150939A), difucosyllactose (WO 2016/086947A), lacto-N-tetraose (WO 2017/101953A), lacto-N-neotetraose (WO 2014/094783A). Crystallization of HMOs involves the use of organic solvents, such as alcohols, primarily ethanol or methanol; or an organic acid such as glacial acetic acid. However, if HMO is to be used as a food ingredient, the use of an organic solvent to crystallize HMO is not suitable as a final step in the process to obtain the final product in solid form. In addition, organic solvents are harmful to the environment and to any individual handling them. Therefore, the use of organic solvents requires occupational safety measures and proper disposal, which makes the use of organic solvents costly. Therefore, it must be considered a disadvantage in the industrial scale production of HMO that the HMO is crystallized to provide HMO in solid form.

Therefore, there is a need for a process to provide HMOs, in particular lacto-N-fucopentose, in solid form, which can be used for the production of HMOs on an industrial scale and which does not involve the use of organic solvents at the end of the purification scheme used to provide the solid preparation of HMOs.

This problem is solved by a process for providing a powder consisting essentially of purified HMO, wherein said process comprises spray drying an aqueous solution comprising HMO.

Disclosure of Invention

In a first aspect, a spray-dried powder is provided, a method is provided, the spray-dried powder consisting essentially of at least one lacto-N-fucopentose.

In a second aspect, a method for preparing a spray-dried powder consisting essentially of at least one lacto-N-fucopentose.

In a third aspect, there is provided the use of a spray-dried powder consisting essentially of at least one lacto-N-fucopentose for the preparation of a nutritional composition.

In a fourth aspect, a nutritional composition is provided that contains a spray-dried powder consisting essentially of at least one lacto-N-fucopentose.

Drawings

Figure 1 shows a graph illustrating the X-ray powder diffraction results of spray dried 3-fucosyllactose.

Figure 2 shows a graph illustrating the X-ray powder diffraction results for spray dried lacto-N-tetraose.

FIG. 3 shows a graph illustrating the X-ray powder diffraction results of spray dried 6' -sialyllactose.

Figure 4 shows a graph illustrating the X-ray powder diffraction results of spray dried 3' -sialyllactose.

Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram illustrating the X-ray powder diffraction results of a mixture of spray dried 2' -fucosyllactose and lacto-N-tetraose.

Figure 6 shows a graph illustrating the X-ray powder diffraction results of a mixture of spray dried 2 ' -fucosyllactose, 3-fucosyllactose, lacto-N-tetraose, 3 ' -sialyllactose and 6 ' -sialyllactose.

Detailed Description

According to a first aspect, there is provided a spray-dried powder consisting essentially of at least one milk-N-fucopentose, wherein said milk-N-fucopentose is produced by microbial fermentation.

As described below, lacto-N-fucopentose is produced by microbial fermentation. As used herein, the term "consisting essentially of … …" means that the spray-dried powder consists of at least one milk-N-fucopentose and optionally a by-product that is produced during microbial fermentation to produce the at least one milk-N-fucopentose but that is not removed from a process stream obtained from microbial fermentation. The term "consisting essentially of … …" includes spray-dried powders consisting of at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 93%, at least 95%, or at least 98% by weight of milk-N-fucopentose.

In a further and/or alternative embodiment, the at least one milk-N-fucopentose is selected from the group consisting of L NFPI, L NFPII, L NFPIII and L NFPV in a specific embodiment, the milk-N-fucopentose is milk-N-fucopentose i in an alternative embodiment, the spray-dried powder consists essentially of a mixture of milk-N-fucopentoses, wherein the milk-N-fucopentoses of the mixture are preferably selected from the group consisting of L NFPI, L NFPII, L NFPIII and L NFPV.

In a further and/or alternative embodiment, the lacto-N-fucopentose is present in the spray-dried powder in an amorphous form.

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the spray-dried powder contains 15 wt.% or less water, preferably 10 wt.% or less water, more preferably 7 wt.% or less water, most preferably 5 wt.% or less water.

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the spray dried powder is free of genetically engineered microorganisms and nucleic acid molecules from genetically engineered microorganisms.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a method of preparing a spray-dried powder consisting essentially of at least one lacto-N-fucopentose produced by microbial fermentation. The method comprises the following steps:

a) purifying milk-N-fucopentose from the process stream;

b) providing an aqueous solution of the at least one lacto-N-fucopentose of step a); and

c) spray drying the solution of step b).

In a further and/or alternative embodiment, the purification of milk-N-fucopentose from the process stream comprises one or more of the following steps:

i) removing microbial cells from the fermentation broth and/or lysing the microbial cells to obtain a process stream;

ii) subjecting the process stream to at least one ultrafiltration;

iii) treating the process stream at least once with a cation exchange resin and/or at least once with an anion exchange resin;

iv) subjecting the process stream to at least one nanofiltration;

v) subjecting the process stream to at least one electrodialysis;

vi) treating the process stream at least once with activated carbon; and/or

vii) subjecting the process stream to at least one crystallization and/or precipitation step.

lacto-N-fucopentose may be produced by fermentation of a microorganism in which a genetically engineered microorganism capable of synthesizing lacto-N-fucopentose is cultured in a culture medium (fermentation broth) and under conditions that allow synthesis of lacto-N-fucopentose by the genetically engineered microorganism. The purification of milk-N-fucopentose produced by microbial fermentation comprises the step of separating microbial cells from a fermentation broth to obtain a clarified process stream that is substantially free of cells and contains milk-N-fucopentose. This step is the first step in the process for purifying the desired oligosaccharide.

Suitable methods for isolating microbial cells from a fermentation broth include centrifugation, wherein the microbial cells are obtained in pellet form and the fermentation broth is obtained in supernatant form. In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the microbial cells are isolated from the fermentation broth by filtration. Suitable filtration methods for separating microbial cells from the fermentation broth include microfiltration and ultrafiltration.

Microfiltration is itself a physical filtration process in which a fluid containing particles is passed through a membrane of a particular pore size to separate the particles from the fluid. As used herein, the term "microfiltration" refers to a physical filtration process in which cells are separated from a fermentation broth.

Ultrafiltration is a series of membrane filtrations and is not inherently different. In ultrafiltration, forces such as pressure or concentration gradients cause separation across a semi-permeable membrane. Cells, suspended solids and high molecular weight solutes remain in the so-called retentate, while water and low molecular weight solutes (such as the desired sialylated oligosaccharides) pass through the membrane into the permeate (filtrate).

Ultrafiltration membranes are defined by the molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of the membrane used. Ultrafiltration is applied in cross-flow or dead-end mode (dead-end mode).

In some embodiments, where at least a portion of the lacto-N-fucopentose synthesized by microbial cells is not secreted into the fermentation broth, but remains intracellular, the cells may be removed from the fermentation broth and lysed. Insoluble components can be removed from the cell lysate, which then becomes a process stream containing lacto-N-fucopentose.

Although this method is used for purifying lacto-N-fucopentose that has been produced by microbial fermentation, the method can also be used for purifying lacto-N-fucopentose that has been produced by in vitro enzymatic catalysis. The lacto-N-fucopentose may be purified from the reaction mixture at the end of the biocatalytic reaction. The reaction mixture is subjected to a purification process as a process stream.

The process stream contains lacto-N-fucopentose along with by-products and unwanted impurities, such as monosaccharides, disaccharides, unwanted oligosaccharide by-products, ions, amino acids, polypeptides, proteins, and/or nucleic acids.

In a further and/or alternative embodiment, the method of purifying milk-N-fucopentose comprises at least one step of cation exchange treatment to remove positively charged compounds from the clarified process stream.

Suitable cation exchange resins for removing positively charged compounds include L ewatit S2568(H +) (L anxess AG, Cologne, DE).

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the method of purifying milk-N-fucopentose comprises the step of anion exchange treatment to remove unwanted negatively charged compounds from the clarified process stream.

Suitable anion exchange resins include L ewatit S6368A, L ewatit S4268, L ewatit S5528, L ewatit S6368A (L anxess AG. Cologne, DE), Dowex AG 1x2(200-400 mesh), Dowex lx8(100-200 mesh), Purolite Chromalite CGA 100x4(Purolite GmbH, Ratinogen, DE), Dow Amberlite FPA51(Dow Chemicals, Ml, USA).

In an additional/or alternative embodiment, the purification process of the lacto-N-fucopentose comprises a nanofiltration and/or diafiltration (diafiltration) step to remove impurities with lower molecular weight and concentrate the desired oligosaccharides.

Diafiltration involves the addition of fresh water to the solution to remove (wash out) membrane-permeable components. Diafiltration may be used to separate components by using a suitable membrane, based on the molecular size and charge of the components, in which one or more substances are effectively retained, while other substances are permeable by the membrane. In particular, diafiltration using nanofiltration membranes is effective for separating low molecular weight compounds such as small molecules and salts. The molecular weight cut-off of the nanofiltration membrane is typically 150-. Nanofiltration is widely used in the dairy industry for the concentration and demineralization of whey.

Suitable membranes for nanofiltration and/or diafiltration include Dow Filmtec NF270-4040, Trisep 4040-XN45-TSF (Microdyn-Nadir GmbH, Wiesbaden, DE), GE4040F30, and GH4040F50(GE Water & Process Technologies, Ratingen, DE).

It has been found that diafiltration using nanofiltration membranes is effective as a pretreatment to remove large amounts of contaminants prior to electrodialysis treatment of the oligosaccharide containing solution. The use of nanofiltration membranes for concentration and diafiltration during HMO purification results in lower energy consumption and processing costs and better product quality due to reduced thermal exposure leading to reduced Maillard reactions and aldol reactions.

In a further and/or alternative embodiment, the method for purifying lacto-N-fucopentose comprises at least one electrodialysis step.

Electrodialysis (ED) combines dialysis and electrolysis and can be used for separation or concentration of ions in solution based on the selective electromigration of ions through a semi-permeable membrane.

The basic principle of electrodialysis consists of an electrolytic cell comprising a pair of electrodes immersed in an electrolyte for conducting ions and connected to a direct current generator. The electrode connected to the positive pole of the dc generator is the anode and the electrode connected to the negative pole is the cathode. The electrolyte solution then supports the current flow, which is generated as negative and positive ions move toward the anode and cathode, respectively. The membranes used for electrodialysis are essentially porous ion-exchange resin sheets with negative or positive charged groups and are therefore described as cationic or anionic membranes, respectively. Ion exchange membranes are typically made from polystyrene with suitable functional groups (such as sulfonic acid for cationic membranes, or quaternary ammonium groups for anionic membranes) crosslinked with divinylbenzene. The electrolyte may be, for example, sodium chloride, sodium acetate, sodium propionate, or sulfamic acid. The electrodialysis stack (electrodialysis stack) is then assembled in such a way that the anion and cation membranes are parallel in the filter press between two electrode blocks, so that the stream undergoing ion depletion is well separated from the stream undergoing ion enrichment (the two solutions are also called diluate (undergoing ion depletion) and concentrate (undergoing ion enrichment)). The core of the electrodialysis process is a membrane stack consisting of several anion and cation exchange membranes separated by spacers and mounted between two electrodes. By applying a direct current, anions and cations will migrate across the membrane towards the electrodes.

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the method of purifying milk-N-fucopentose further comprises the step of continuous chromatography, such as simulated bed moving (SMB) chromatography.

Simulated Moving Bed (SMB) chromatography originates from the petrochemical and mineral industries. Today, the pharmaceutical industry uses SMB chromatography to separate enantiomers from racemic mixtures. Large scale SMB chromatography has been used to separate the monosaccharide fructose from fructose-glucose solutions, as well as the disaccharide sucrose from sugar beet or cane sugar slurries.

The SMB process for separating sugars uses, for example, cross-linked polystyrene resins containing calcium, anionic resins in the bisulfite form (bechtold m. et al, Chemie Ingenieur Technik, 2010, 82, 65-75), or polystyrene gel strong acid cationic resins in the hydrogen form (Purolite PCR833H) (Purolite, Bala Cynwyd, USA).

SMB systems are in principle scalable to achieve throughput of several hundred tons, given the continuous mode of operation, recovery of mobile phase and the potential to use large size chromatography columns.

The advantage of the process step of simulated moving bed chromatography is that it allows for the further removal of oligosaccharides structurally closely related to the desired oligosaccharide.

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the method of purifying milk-N-fucopentose comprises treating the process stream with activated carbon to remove contaminant materials, such as colorants, from the process stream.

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the method for purifying milk-N-fucopentose comprises at least one step of crystallizing or precipitating milk-N-fucopentose from the process stream. The milk-N-fucopentose may be crystallized or precipitated from a process stream containing milk-N-fucopentose by adding an appropriate amount of a water-miscible organic solvent to the process stream. The organic solvent is selected from C₁To C₆Alcohol of (a) and C₁To C₄An acid of carbon.

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment of the method for the purification of lacto-N-fucopentose, comprising the step of sterile filtering and/or removing endotoxins, the process stream is preferably filtered through a 3kDa filter or a 6kDa filter.

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the method for purifying milk-N-fucopentose comprises the step of increasing the concentration of milk-N-fucopentose in the process stream. The process stream may be subjected to vacuum evaporation, reverse osmosis or nanofiltration (e.g., size exclusion limit)Nanofiltration by nanofiltration membranes) to increase the concentration of lacto-N-fucopentose in the process stream. Alternatively, the crystallized or precipitated milk-N-fucopentose is dissolved in water to obtain a milk-N-fucopentose solution having a desired milk-N-fucopentose concentration.

In a further and/or alternative embodiment, the resulting process stream is an aqueous solution containing at least one lacto-N-fucopentose at a concentration of 20 g/L, 25 g/L, 30 g/L, 40 g/L, 60 g/L, 100 g/L, 200 g/L, or even 300 g/L.

In a further and/or alternative embodiment, the aqueous solution contains at least one lacto-N-fucopentose having a purity of at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 93%, at least 95%, or at least 98%, relative to the weight of dry matter/solute in the solution.

The obtained concentrate containing purified lacto-N-fucopentose may be stored under suitable conditions.

The purification process of lacto-N-fucopentose is cost effective and easily scalable, making it suitable as a basis for multi-ton scale preparation processes.

The method of purification of lacto-N-fucopentose is also advantageous because the aqueous solution is free of genetically engineered microorganisms and nucleic acid molecules derived from genetically engineered microorganisms. In addition, the aqueous solution does not contain proteins. The total removal of protein eliminates the risk of causing allergies to potential consumers.

The method of making a spray-dried powder includes the step of providing an aqueous solution containing at least one lacto-N-fucopentose.

In a further and/or alternative embodiment, the aqueous solution contains at least one lacto-N-fucopentose in an amount of at least 20% weight/volume (%), (w/v)), 30%, 35%, and up to 45%, 50%, 60%.

In a further and/or alternative embodiment, the aqueous solution contains at least one lacto-N-fucopentose having a purity of at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 93%, at least 95%, or at least 98%, relative to the weight of dry matter/solute in the solution.

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the aqueous solution is free of genetically engineered microorganisms, nucleic acid molecules from genetically engineered microorganisms, and proteins.

In a method of preparing a spray-dried powder, an aqueous solution containing at least one lacto-N-fucopentose is spray-dried.

Spray drying is a method for obtaining a dry powder, in which a solution containing a target substance (i.e., lacto-N-fucopentose) is first sprayed into droplets, and the droplets are rapidly dried by hot air. Spray drying is very rapid and the time during which the material to be dried is exposed to high temperatures is short.

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the aqueous solution containing at least one lacto-N-fucopentose that has been purified from a fermentation broth or a process stream is spray dried at a nozzle temperature of at least 110 ℃, preferably at least 120 ℃, more preferably at least 125 ℃, and less than 150 ℃, preferably less than 140 ℃ and more preferably less than 135 ℃.

In a further and/or alternative embodiment, the aqueous solution containing at least one lacto-N-fucopentose that has been purified from a fermentation broth or a process stream is spray-dried at an outlet temperature of at least 60 ℃, preferably at least 65 ℃, and less than 80 ℃, preferably less than 70 ℃. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the aqueous solution containing at least one lacto-N-fucopentose is spray-dried at a nozzle temperature of about 68 ℃ to about 70 ℃.

It is to be understood that any of the structurally different lacto-N-fucopentanes can be purified and spray dried separately, and the resulting spray-dried powders can be mixed in any desired ratio. In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the separated aqueous solutions each containing separated structurally distinct lacto-N-fucopentoses may be mixed in any desired ratio and the resulting aqueous solution containing a mixture of structurally distinct lacto-N-fucopentoses in the desired ratio may be spray dried. The ratio of different lacto-N-fucopentanes in the obtained spray-dried powder corresponds to the ratio of different lacto-N-fucopentanes in the aqueous solution.

Spray drying of an aqueous solution containing at least one milk-N-fucopentan provides a low hygroscopic powder, wherein the milk-N-fucopentan is present in an amorphous form, and wherein the particle size is uniform.

According to a third aspect, there is provided the use of a spray-dried powder containing at least one milk-N-fucopentose that has been purified from a process stream for the preparation of a nutritional composition. The spray-dried powder consisting essentially of at least one milk-N-fucopentose is suitable for human consumption and may therefore be included in a formulation for human consumption, such as a pharmaceutical formulation, an infant formula, a milk drink or a dietary supplement.

According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a nutritional composition comprising a spray-dried powder as described in the first aspect or prepared according to the second aspect.

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the nutritional composition contains at least one further HMO which is not at least one milk-N-fucopentose present in or as said spray-dried powder the at least one further HMO may be a neutral HMO, which is preferably selected from the group consisting of 2 '-fucosyllactose (2' -F L), 3-fucosyllactose (3-F L), milk-N-tetraose (L NT), milk-N-neotetraose (L NnT), and milk-N-fucopentose I (L NFPI), milk-N-fucopentose II (L NFPII), milk-N-fucopentose III (L NFPIII) and milk-N-fucopentose V (L NFPV).

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the at least one further HMO may be a sialylated HMO, preferably selected from the group consisting of 3 '-sialyllactose (3' -S L), 6 '-sialyllactose (6' -S L), sialyl yogurt-N-tetraose (L ST) -a, L ST-b, L ST-c and disialyllacto-N-tetraose (DS L NT).

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the nutritional composition includes a mixture consisting essentially of Neu5Ac, 2 ' -F L, 3-F L, INT, inn, L NFPI, 3 ' -S L, 6 ' -S L, sialic acid, and L-fucose the nutritional composition including preferred amounts of each of the compounds is provided in table 1.

Table 1: compositions containing exemplary mixtures suitable as supplements to infant formula.

The composition of the second column of table 1 is particularly advantageous for supplementing infant formulas so that the final infant formula for direct consumption may contain the compounds of the mixture at the concentrations specified in the third column of table 1.

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment, the nutritional composition contains one or more additional ingredients. The one or more other ingredients are selected from oils, fats and fatty acids (e.g. olive oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, nut oil, rapeseed oil, palm oil, linseed oil, fish oil, linolenic acid, soybean oil, etc.), carbohydrates (e.g. glucose, fructose, lactose, maltodextrin, starch, sucrose, inositol, etc.), proteins (from skimmed milk, whey, casein (from any domestic animal) or soy), vitamins (A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B12, C, D, E, K, biotin, folic acid, niacin, choline), minerals and trace elements (sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, fluorine, selenium, iodine, copper).

In a preferred embodiment, the nutritional composition comprising spray dried human milk oligosaccharides, or a mixture of human milk oligosaccharides and functional monosaccharides, or a mixture of human milk oligosaccharides and other fibres is an infant formula meeting the compositional requirements specified in regulation (eu)2016/127 and/or Code of Federal Regulations (USA) Title 21107.100 (nutritional specifications). Table 2 and table 3 specifically indicate representative compositions of infant formula.

Infant formula: skimmed milk

Vegetable oil (palm oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil)

Human milk oligosaccharides

LNFPI

Defatted milk powder

Mortierella alpina (Mortierella alpina) oil

Fish oil

Calcium carbonate

Potassium chloride

Vitamin C

Sodium chloride

Vitamin E

Ferric acetate

Zinc sulfate

Nicotinic acid

D-calcium pantothenate

Copper sulfate

Vitamin A

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B6

Magnesium sulfate

Potassium iodate

Folic acid

Vitamin K

Sodium selenite

Vitamin D

Table 2: components of exemplary infant formulas.

Table 3: composition of exemplary infant formula. The final concentration is based on a formulation of 13.5g of powder in 90ml of water.

In an additional and/or alternative embodiment the nutritional composition further comprises a microorganism, preferably a probiotic microorganism, preferably a microorganism from the group of microorganisms of healthy people or found in the group of microorganisms of healthy people, preferably but not limited to the genus Bifidobacterium (Bifidobacterium), Lactobacillus (L Acobacter), Enterococcus (Enterococcus), Streptococcus (Streptococcus), Staphylococcus (Staphylococcus), Streptococcus digestions (Peptostreptococcus), Leuconostoc (L gluconostoc), Clostridium (Clostridium), Eubacterium (Eubacterium), Veilonella, Clostridium (Fusobacterium), Anaerobacterium (Bacillus), Proteus (Prevotella), Escherichia (Escherischiaria), Lactobacillus (Lactobacillus), Lactobacillus paracasei), Lactobacillus (Lactobacillus paracasei), Lactobacillus paracasei (Lactobacillus paracasei), Lactobacillus paracasei (Lactobacillus paracasei), Lactobacillus (Lactobacillus), Lactobacillus paracasei), Lactobacillus (Streptococcus faecalis), Lactobacillus (Streptococcus, Lactobacillus), Lactobacillus (Streptococcus, Lactobacillus), Lactobacillus (Streptococcus faecalis), Lactobacillus (Streptococcus, Lactobacillus), Lactobacillus (Streptococcus (Lactobacillus), Lactobacillus (Streptococcus (Lactobacillus), Lactobacillus (Streptococcus faecalis), Lactobacillus (Streptococcus faecalis), Lactobacillus (Streptococcus (Lactobacillus), Lactobacillus (Streptococcus (Lactobacillus), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus faecalis), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus faecalis), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus, Lactobacillus), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus faecalis), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus), Lactobacillus strain (Streptococcus strain (.

In addition to combining living organisms, the nutritional composition may also include dead cell cultures. In the field of probiotics, killed cell cultures (e.g. intermittently killed (tyndalized) bacteria) are sometimes used. These killed cultures can provide proteins, peptides, oligosaccharides, extracellular wall fragments and natural products, resulting in short term stimulation of the immune system.

The inclusion of probiotic micro-organisms in the nutritional composition is particularly advantageous, especially in the presence of HMOs, as it also promotes the establishment of a healthy gut microbiome.

In a further and/or alternative embodiment, the nutritional composition further comprises prebiotics, such as galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), inulin, or combinations thereof.

The nutritional composition is in a solid form including, but not limited to, a powder, granules, flakes, pellets, or a combination thereof.

In another embodiment, the nutritional composition is selected from the group consisting of a pharmaceutical formulation, an infant formula, a milk drink, and a dietary supplement.

As pharmaceutical preparations, the nutritional compositions may be used for improving cognitive abilities, in particular for improving attention, learning and/or memory.

The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

It is to be noticed that the term 'comprising', used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being limitative to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression "a device comprising the devices a and B" should not be limited to devices consisting of only the components a and B. This means that, in the sense of the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are a and B.

Reference throughout this specification to "one or a (a) embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" appearing in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description of representative embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. The methods of the present disclosure should not be construed as reflecting the intent: the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects may lie in less than all features of any foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

Furthermore, although some embodiments described herein include some features but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are intended to fall within the scope of the invention and form different embodiments, as will be understood by those familiar with the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

Furthermore, some embodiments are described herein as a method or combination of elements of a method that can be performed by a processor of a computer system or by other means of performing functions. Thus, a processor with the necessary instructions for performing the method or elements of the method forms a tool for performing the method or elements of the method. Further, the elements of the apparatus embodiments described herein are examples of means for performing the functions performed by the elements for carrying out the objects of the invention.

In the description and drawings provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the understanding of this description and the drawings.

The present invention will now be described by a detailed description of several embodiments of the invention. It will be apparent that other embodiments of the invention can be set forth according to the knowledge of a person skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit or technical advantages of the invention, which is limited only by the claims appended hereto.

Example 1: purification of 2' -fucosyllactose from fermentation broths

2' -fucosyllactose is produced by fermentation using a genetically modified strain of escherichia coli (e.coli) as described, for example, in european patent application 16196486.1. The 2' -fucosyllactose is purified from the fermentation broth by filtration, ion exchange chromatography, nanofiltration, diafiltration or electrodialysis, and treatment with charcoal as described in WO 2015/106943 a 1. The resulting solution containing 2' -fucosyllactose was spray dried to obtain a stable solid product.