Safety evaluation of a mixture of the human-identical milk oligosaccharides 2′-fucosyllactose and difucosyllactose

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are endogenous indigestible carbohydrates representing the largest compositional difference between human breastmilk and infant formula (IF). Two major HMOs in human breastmilk are 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) and difucosyllactose (DFL); commercial IF can be supplemented with manufactured structurally identical versions of HMOs [known as human-identical milk oligosaccharides (HiMOs)] to better replicate the composition of human milk. As 2′-FL and DFL are always found together in human milk, a mixture of these HiMOs (2′-FL/DFL) has been proposed for use in IF and as a food ingredient. Safety assessment of 2′-FL/DFL included conduct of in vitro genotoxicity tests and a subchronic oral toxicity study. In the subchronic study, 2′-FL/DFL (8:1 ratio) was administered to neonatal rats at doses up to 5000 mg/kg body weight (bw)/day, once daily for 90 days, followed by a 4-week recovery period. A concurrent reference control group received 5000 mg/kg bw/day of an oligosaccharide already used in IF (fructooligosaccharide), for direct comparison with the high-dose 2′-FL/DFL group. No evidence of genotoxicity was observed. In the absence of compound-related adverse effects in the 90-day study, 5000 mg/kg bw/day was established as the no-observed-adverse-effect-level. These results support the use of 2′-FL/DFL in IF and as a food ingredient.