Ummino self-affirms GRAS status for enzyme producing bio-derived lactosamine, focuses on rebalancing adult microbiome

“By liberating this compound from mother’s milk, and making it available in a product, our nutrition partners can scientifically claim true gut health benefits. We are excited to collaborate with the world's largest food and specialty nutrition companies to introduce our prebiotic into everyday products, improving the health and well-being of people globally,” said company CEO and Co-founder Charles Dykes in a press release.

Lactosamine can ‘rebuild ... the microbiome’ in adults  

Ummino was founded in 2020 by microbiologists Andrea Azcarate-Peril, professor of medicine and director of the Microbiome Core Facility at UNC-Chapel Hill, José Bruno, tenured professor of microbiology at North Carolina State University, and Dykes to improve the adult microbiome with biotech-derived ingredients.

Ummino produces a bio-identical lactosamine — a fiber that is found in human milk oligosaccharides — composition via an enzyme produced through precision fermentation, Dykes told FoodNavigator-USA. Through the process, pichia yeast synthesized enzymes convert lactose into galacto oligosaccharides (GOS), prebiotics created from the sugars. GOS is already a GRAS-compliant compound, Dykes noted.

The resulting GOS contains lactosamine in the form of a nitrogen-rich dietary fiber called n-acetyllactosamine, Dykes said. Lactosamine promotes the colonization of bifidobacteria in infants’ gut microbiomes, with research showing the compound can promote healthy adult microbiomes and address compromised microbiomes (i.e., leaky gut), Dykes claimed.

Ummino is focusing first on Hummino’s application in products geared towards adults, including functional beverages and snacks, Dykes said. However, the ingredient “has obvious benefits in infant formula,” which the company also is exploring, he added.  

“Our clinical research shows, that [lactosamine] is fundamental to the microbiome in such a way that it can help to rebuild and rebalance the microbiome of an adult. So, that is really an opportunity to take and focus them in on the adult microbiome with this really exciting compound,” he elaborated.

Other companies are using biotech processes to replicate the fat found in human breast milk to shore up the infant formula supply.

Earlier this year, Yali Bio created Oleic-Palmitic-Oleic (OPO), a fat found in high concentration in human breast milk through precision fermentation. Shortly after, Checkerspot announced its own OPO by fermenting microalgae.

Ummino’s commercialization efforts supported by the Research Triangle

The company operates in the Research Triangle Park on the East Coast, located between Carolina State University, Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Over the years, the Research Triangle supported biotech companies like Ummino with technical commercialization support, Dykes noted. Additionally, Bruno’s expertise is in moving from “benchtop scale to commercial scale,” he added.

“The beautiful thing about the university system here is that it is just really supportive of research commercialization. They know that unless they export the great research that is done at their university, it is not going to do anybody any good. They get it, and so they are really great partners ... in understanding what it means to move into commercialization,” Dykes said.

Additionally, Ummino is “putting the finishing touches on a bridge round” as well as working towards announcing its first commercial partnership, Dykes noted. Currently, Ummino is backed by Siddhi Capital, Bluestein Ventures, Sentient Investments and Danone Ventures.