Biotech company Enzymotec has reported that clinical trials for its lipid-based ingredient line for infant nutrition yielded positive results.
The company said that its strategy is to develop and market a line of products mimicking the vital lipids found in mother's milk, such as triglyceride, phospholipids and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA).
According to Enzymotec, it will publish four new scientific articles on its lipid-based ingredients for infant nutrition in peer-reviewed journals in the coming months. These large-scale clinical research trials were conducted on newborn term infants in several institutes worldwide. Clinical results already have been presented at leading professional conferences.
One of the studies recently completed was a controlled clinical trial on InFat. InFat is a beta-palmitate ingredient that successfully mimics the fat composition and properties of human milk fat that is said to enable easy digestion and optimised uptake of calcium, fat recovery and energy. InFat is marketed by Advanced Lipids, a joint venture of AAK and Enzymotec. The study was the first testing the positive effect of a commercial term-infant formula containing beta-palmitate on Chinese infants' well-being. It was conducted by Professor Chen Yu-Ming, the principle investigator at Sun Yat-Sen University and in collaboration with Enzymotec.
"The clinical trials plan represents Enzymotec's ongoing commitment to explore the special characteristics of human milk and demonstrate its lipid-based ingredients' health benefits on various infant populations," said Yael Lifshitz, Director of R&D at Enzymotec Infant Nutrition. "We developed this innovative ingredient and educated the premium infant formula market over the last several years. Enzymotec invested 10% of its revenue in research and development - a percentage considered among the highest in the industry."
