Research Progress on the Synthesis Methods of Human Milk Oligosaccharides

Human milk oligosaccharides are the third largest solid component in breast milk and have functions such as regulating the intestinal flora, inhibiting the growth of pathogens, influencing the immune response of infants, and promoting brain development. Currently, the synthesis methods of human milk oligosaccharides include chemical synthesis, enzymatic synthesis and microbial fermentation. Chemical synthesis has low efficiency and doubts about product safety; enzymatic synthesis has a high conversion rate, but the substrate cost is high and the enzyme activity is unstable. Microbial fermentation can use Escherichia coli, yeast, Bacillus subtilis and Corynebacterium glutamicum as chassis strains, but it is not possible to determine the pros and cons of the research on chassis strains. At present, many kinds of human milk oligosaccharides have been approved by many countries as food additives or new raw materials and have application potential in many fields.