DIVERSIFICATION OF HUMAN MILK OLIGOSACCHARIDES (HMOs) OR PRECURSORS THEREOF

A method for preparation of one or more human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) or derivatives or precursors thereof, the method comprising the steps of

• a) providing at least one compound or a mixture of the compounds selected from the group consisting of:
• optionally sialylated and/or fucosylated lactose derivatives of general formula 2 and salts thereof:
• wherein
• R is a group removable by hydrogenolysis,
• R1 independently of each other is fucosyl or H
• R4 independently of each other is sialyl or H,
• provided that the compound of general formula 2 is not R-glycoside of lactose, if provided alone;
• optionally sialylated and/or fucosylated lactose derivatives of general formula 4 and salts thereof:
• wherein
• R1 independently of each other is fucosyl or H
• R4 independently of each other is sialyl or H,
• provided that the compound of general formula 4 is not lactose, if provided alone;
• lacto-N-tetraose (LNT):
• lacto-N-tetraose (LNT) derivatives of the following formula:
• wherein R is a group removable by hydrogenolysis;
• lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT):
• lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) derivatives of the following formula:
• wherein R is a group removable by hydrogenolysis;
• b) adding at least one enzyme comprising a transglycosidase activity to the at least one compound or a mixture of compounds provided according to step a);
• c) incubating the mixture obtained according to step b);
• d) where both:
• only two compounds are provided in step a) of which one is 3′-sialyllactose;
• and the enzyme comprising a transglycosidase activity added in step b) is an enzyme comprising trans-sialidase activity at least steps a) and c) or steps b) and c) are repeated;
• e) optionally repeating at least steps a) and c) or steps b) and c) with the mixture obtained according to step c) or d);
• f) optionally subjecting the mixture obtained after step c), d) or e) to a hydrogenolysis reaction.