Arla Foods Ingredients has secured a positive opinion on its novel food application for bovine milk osteopontin ingredient called Lacprodan OPN-10.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published an opinion that bovine milk osteopontin (OPN) is safe for use in infant formula (IF) and ready-to-eat dairy-based meals for children.
When this process is complete, Lacprodan OPN-10 will become Arla Foods’ first product for infant nutrition approved under the new EU Regulations. Products containing Lacprodan OPN-10 will be authorized for sale in Europe by the end of 2022 or early 2023.
Osteopontin is a whey protein, which is an acidic glycoprotein and heavily phosphorylated, with strong calcium-binding properties. Significant amounts of this protein have been identified in human breast milk, while smaller quantities are present in bovine milk. This means that, to date, infant formulas have had lower osteopontin content than human breast milk.
Anders Steen Jørgensen, director of pediatric at Arla Foods Ingredients says: “This decision is an important step towards achieving novel food approval and opens up new opportunities for formula manufacturers. Lacprodan OPN-10 is a fantastic addition to our infant nutrition portfolio and This is the result of more than five years of hard work from our R&D department, Early Life Nutrition Science teams, and regulatory teams.” With Lacprodan OPN-10, this organization can help infant formula manufacturers to develop products containing osteopontin in its purest.
Reference:
https://www.dairyindustries.com/news/40317/arla-food-ingredients-gets-nod-for-opn-from-efsa/
