Leading the way in Human Milk Research for over 50 years

For more than 50 years, Danone Research & Innovation has been at the forefront of human milk research. Deepening scientific understanding of the complexity is essential to translating its most powerful benefits into nutritional innovations, including infant milk formulas that can help babies thrive.

 Here, we highlight some of the key milestones that have shaped our journey:

Happy baby with a nurse in a black and white image

1971

Small starts, strong futures

 Hundreds of preterm infants participate in a clinical trial evaluating our novel milk formula enriched with unsaturated fatty acids. The findings are encouraging, with adequate infant weight gain observed, alongside improvements in other growth and health markers.¹

1977

A new formula for early resilience:

We continue reinforcing our leadership in protein science - following our early effort in 1968 to adjust the casein-to-whey ratio in formulas to better reflect the protein structure of human milk - and continue advancing our understanding of milk composition throughout the 1970s.²

1983

From discovery to development:

We discover the existence of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) in polar lipids and triglycerides of human milk.³ These nutrients are important for brain and visual development, and our breakthrough leads to major advances in infant nutrition.

1994

Uncovering the hidden patterns in human milk:

We are among the first to discover and characterize the diversity of short chain and long chain HMOs.⁴ Formulas enriched with HMOs promote gut health and immunity.

1996

Extending the map of human milk diversity:

We are the first to identify a fourth genetically determined milk group based on HMO profiles, which occurs with varying prevalence across different populations worldwide.⁵

2003

The tiny heroes in every drop:

Our research confirms the presence of beneficial microorganisms such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in human milk, highlighting its role in establishing a healthy gut microbial environment for the infant.⁶

Milk Droplet

2010

Evolving drops, growing impact:

We demonstrate that the composition and concentration of HMOs evolve over the course of lactation⁷. These variations have been shown to influence the development of infants’ gut microbiota.⁸

2015

Getting closer to nature’s blueprint:

Through technical innovations, we develop a new infant milk formula containing large fat droplets with a phospholipid coating—more closely mimicking human milk fat globules.⁹

2016

New components uncovered:

We are the first to show that small molecules in human milk, called extracellular vesicles, carry a unique set of proteins - clearly different from all other milk components. These proteins are involved in cell growth and immune regulation.¹⁰

2020

Dynamic and personalized nature:

Mass spectrometry enabled unprecedented resolution of the human milk proteome, revealing >1300 proteins, ~2000 endogenous peptides, and ~1700 glycopeptides from more than 100 glycoproteins all with unique dynamic changes across lactation. These advanced analytical techniques reveal the complexity and highly personalized nature of human milk proteins.¹¹⁻¹³

Scientist in lab with modern technology for human milk research

2025

Decoding the Glycan Symphony:

 

Advanced analytical techniques allow for the quantification of 200 HMO structures and uncover over 300 unique glycan structures in human milk, alongside novel isomers that point to previously unknown biosynthetic pathways. A significant leap in understanding the complexity and function of HMOs.¹⁴⁻¹⁵

 

References:

  1. Staemmler H., Nienaber W.; (1971); Klinisch-experimentelle Prüfung von APTAMIL auf einer Frühgeborenen-Station [Experimental clinical tests of Aptamil for premature infants], Medizin und Ernahrung; Vol. 12, No. 10, 220-223
  2. Wemmer U.; (1977); Frühgeborenen-Ernährung mit Frauenmilch und Milupa Meb [Nutrition of premature infants with human milk and Milupa Meb]; Fortschr der Medizin; 95(7):441-6.
  3. Harzer, G., et al.; (1983); Changing patterns of human milk lipids in the course of the lactation and during the day; The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; 37(4), 612–621; DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/37.4.612
  4. Stahl, B., et al.; (1994); Oligosaccharides from human milk as revealed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry; Analytical Biochemistry; 223(2), 218–226.
  5. Thurl, S., et al.; (1996); Quantification of individual oligosaccharide compounds from human milk using high‑pH anion‑exchange chromatography; Analytical Biochemistry; 235(2), 202–206; DOI: 10.1006/abio.1996.0113
  6. Martín, R., et al; (2003); Human milk is a source of lactic acid bacteria for the infant gut; Journal of Pediatrics; 143(6), 754–758; DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2003.09.028
  7. Thurl, S., et al.; (2010); Variation of human milk oligosaccharides in relation to milk groups and lactational periods; British Journal of Nutrition; 104, 1261–1271; DOI: 10.1017/S0007114510002072
  8. Coppa, G. V., et al.; (2011); Oligosaccharides in 4 different milk groups, Bifidobacteria, and Ruminococcus obeum; Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition; 53(1), 80–87; DOI: 10.1097/MPG.0b013e318217f1b0
  9. Gallier, S., et al.; (2015); A novel infant milk formula concept: Mimicking the human milk fat globule structure; Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces; 136, 329–339; DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2015.09.024
  10. Van Herwijnen, M. J. C., et al.; (2016); Abundant glycosylation and expression of milk-derived extracellular vesicle proteins; Molecular & Cellular Proteomics; 15(11), 3412–3423; DOI: 10.1074/mcp.M116.060160
  11. Zhu J, et al. (2021) Personalized Profiling Reveals Donor- and Lactation-Specific Trends in the Human Milk Proteome and Peptidome. J Nutr. 8;151(4):826-839; doi: 10.1093/jn/nxaa445
  12.  Dingess KA, et al. (2021) Monitoring Human Milk β-Casein Phosphorylation and O-Glycosylation Over Lactation Reveals Distinct Differences between the Proteome and Endogenous Peptidome. Int J Mol Sci. 22(15):8140; doi: 10.3390/ijms22158140
  13. Zhu J, et al. (2020) Quantitative Longitudinal Inventory of the N-Glycoproteome of Human Milk from a Single Donor Reveals the Highly Variable Repertoire and Dynamic Site-Specific Changes. J Proteome Res. 19(5):1941-1952; doi: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.9b00753
  14. Sastre Toraño, J., et al. (2026) De novo sequencing of glycans by ion mobility-mass spectrometry using a self-expanding database. Nat Commun 17:382; doi: doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67069-w
  15. Gonsalves J, et al. (2025) Robust and High-Resolution All-Ion Fragmentation LC-ESI-IM-MS Analysis for In-Depth Characterization or Profiling of Up to 200 Human Milk Oligosaccharides. Anal Chem. 97(10):5563-5574; doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c06081