Morinaga Milk to boost Chinese children’s health with NHC-approved probiotic

09 Aug 2024 --- China’s National Health Commission (NHC) reveals it has approved Morinaga Milk’s proprietary probiotic Bifidobacterium infantis M-63 as a new food ingredient for use in infant and children foods for those under the age of three. The approval makes Moringa Milk the only Japanese firm to have three Bifidobacteria strains registered for use in China’s infant and toddler food markets.

The company’s Bifidobacterium infantis M-63 joins its other NHC-approved strains, Bifidobacterium breve M-16V and Bifidobacterium longum BB536.

According to Moringa Milk, the approval showcases its goal of reaching a global business sales ratio of 15% by the end of fiscal year 2029 and strengthens its bacteria business in the Chinese market. The company also underscores that the Chinese market accounts for more than 40% of the global formula milk market and is the second-largest supplement market in the world.

Probiotic’s health benefits

Bifidobacterium infantis M-63 is a probiotic strain of human-residential Bifidobacteria — a Bifidobacteria that naturally resides in the human gut and has been shown to utilize human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) found in breast milk, which can improve the intestinal environment of healthy, full-term infants.

Morinaga Milk emphasizes that China’s recent approval of HMO use in formula milk in October 2023, alongside this approval, means the combination of Bifidobacterium infantis M-63 and HMOs will support the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria, boosting the development and health of infants and toddlers in the country.

Future R&D

Morinaga Milk says it has been at the forefront of Bifidobacteria research since the discovery of Bifidobacterium longum BB536 over four decades ago. 

The company also reveals it is the global leader in the number of clinical research papers on Bifidobacteria. It also recently launched a campaign in partnership with Kalbe Nutritionals to highlight missed developmental nutrition opportunities.

The company also spotlights its plans to leverage this approval to expand collaborations with major formula milk manufacturers and promote nutritional supplements worldwide.