Human Milk Oligosaccarides (HMO)

Oligosaccharides (carbohydrates with greater than 2 and less than 20 saccharides) are the third most abundant component of human milk.  Despite their importance as potential probiotic and immunogenic compounds, there have been no comprehensive studies of them.  Such efforts have been hindered by the lack of analytical tools for oligosaccharides.  In this presentation, modern methods developed in the speaker‚s laboratory for the analysis of oligosaccharides will be presented.  These methods, based on mass spectrometry and nanoflow liquid chromatography allow rapid profiling for saccharide composition.  With tandem MS employing high performance mass spectrometry, structural information is obtained.   Variations of oligosaccharides between individuals have been examined and are observed.  Variations between different mammals are also observed with the greatest abundance and structures found for humans.  We find nearly 200 different oligosaccharides in human milk while other mammals number less than 50 and often less than 20.  The probiotic properties of oligosaccharides have been examined with a number of Bifido bacteria.  With accurate quantitation, we are able to observe specific oligosaccharides that are preferably consumed by the bacteria.