Designed for their next steps

The first bio-equivalent source of the primary fat found in mother’s milk.

Optimal Fats For Optimal Outcomes

Science and innovation has advanced proteins, carbohydrates, HMOs, DHA, probiotics and micronutrients in infant nutrition.

Building on that progress, advances in lipid science are creating new opportunities to more closely reflect another important dimension of human milk: the structure of its fat.

Fat is the caloric foundation of infant nutrition providing roughly half of the energy in human milk.

And while it delivers energy, its function is much more complex. That functionality is related to the structure of those fats and plays an essential role during the earliest stages of growth and development.

A Distinctive Fat Structure. What is sn-2 Palmitate?

#1

The primary form of fat in human milk are triglycerides, molecules built from a glycerol backbone with three fatty acids attached at positions known as sn-1, sn-2 and sn-3.

#2

Where those fatty acids sit can influence what happens during digestion. In human milk, a large proportion of the fatty acid palmitic acid (C16:0) is positioned in the middle or sn-2 position of the triglyceride.

During digestion, fatty acids at the outer sn-1 and sn-3 positions are preferentially released. Palmitic acid located at the sn-2 position is more likely to remain attached to glycerol as an sn-2 monoglyceride, a form that can be readily absorbed.

Olemo™ is designed at the molecular level to deliver the sn-2 palmitate fat structure most readily available to improve nutrient absorption.

The sn-2 Palmitate Fat Structure

The Olemo™ Difference.

High sn-2 palmitate more closely reflects the positional structure found in human milk fat.

Maximizing palmitic acid at the sn-2 position AND mimicking the fatty acid profile of human milk is where Olemo™ advances the nutritional performance of infant nutrition.

High sn-2 palmitate

Positioning palmitic acid predominantly in the middle of the triglyceride, where it is commonly found in human milk fat

A human-milk-inspired fatty acid profile

Designed to better complement the broader composition of infant formula fat systems

Happy Gut. Happy Baby!

Healthier microbiome

More availability
of fat & calcium
for absorption

Better poops!

Olemo™ can integrate into existing infant formula fat systems alongside other oils, enabling formulators to adjust triglyceride architecture while maintaining the broader nutritional requirements of a complete infant formula.

View technical data

The Proof is in the structure

Checkerspot analyzed four commercially available U.S. infant formulas and compared their sn-2 palmitate levels with a human milk reference.

*

We analyzed 4 US infant formula products, all contained 7%-42% sn-2 palmitate, while formula containing Olemo™ matches the level observed in the human-milk reference (68 ± 5%)

In Partnership with

Checkerspot Biosciences has teamed up with Huvepharma and their world-class fermentation, manufacturing and distribution capabilities.

Together, the companies are advancing Olemo™ toward scaled production to meet growing global demand from infant formula brands to advance the development of infant nutrition through lipid innovation.

Awards

World Changing Ideas Awards 2026

The Science & Recognition

Olemo™ is built on more than a decade of Checkerspot’s microalgal strain improvement and fermentation platform research and development of novel lipid innovation.

Published in

Research describing the development and characterization of high sn-2 palmitate algal oil produced through microbial fermentation.

Published in

Research and perspectives supporting advances in biotechnology and fermentation-enabled ingredient development.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is sn-2 palmitate?

Sn-2 palmitate refers to palmitic acid positioned at the middle, or sn-2, position of a triglyceride molecule. In human milk, a large proportion of palmitic acid occurs at this position, which influences how the triglyceride is digested and absorbed.

Why is sn-2 palmitate important in infant nutrition?

The position of palmitic acid within triglycerides can influence its fate during digestion. Palmitic acid located at the sn-2 position tends to remain attached to glycerol during digestion rather than being released as a free fatty acid, reducing its opportunity to form insoluble soaps with minerals such as calcium, and making it more easily absorbed by the infant.

What is Olemo™?

Olemo™ is Checkerspot Biosciences’ high sn-2 palmitate algal oil for infant nutrition. It is a fermentation-derived structured lipid designed to help infant formula manufacturers create fat systems that more closely reflect the molecular architecture of human milk fat.

How is Olemo™ produced?

Olemo™ was created using Checkerspot Biosciences’ microalgae fermentation platform. Molecular biology and fermentation are used to direct microalgae toward producing a tailored triglyceride profile. In partnership with Huvepharma, Olemo™ will be produced at commercial scale through the 25+ years experience that Huvepharma has in fermentation manufacturing.

Can Olemo™ be incorporated into existing infant formula?

Yes! Olemo™ is designed to complement existing infant formula fat blends. Manufacturers can incorporate it as part of a broader lipid system to increase sn-2 palmitate while meeting the formulation’s overall nutritional and performance requirements.