Resercher, at Institute of Health Sciences, Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd, Japan.
Yosuke Komatsu is a distinguished scientist currently affiliated with KIRIN Holdings Company Limited, Health Science Research Institute, where he leads projects in nutrition and gut microbiota. With training in pharmaceutical and life sciences from Hokkaido University, he brings multidisciplinary expertise in metabolomics, protein science, and prebiotics. Komatsu’s innovative work centers on how human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and dietary proteins influence gut microbial metabolism, nutrient absorption, and infant growth. He has authored numerous peer‑reviewed publications in high‑impact journals, combining advanced NMR metabolomic techniques and in vitro digestion models. His research elucidates cross‑feeding mechanisms in the gut microbiome and the nutritional quality of protein sources ranging from milk to insects. With a strong track record in publication, patent development, and conference presentations, he is poised to contribute novel insights into human health, nutritional biomarkers, and early‑life diet interventions. Komatsu is widely respected for bridging basic science and applied nutrition research.
Professional Profile
ORCID
🎓 Education
Yosuke Komatsu earned all his degrees at Hokkaido University in Japan. He completed his Bachelor’s degree (2004–2008) in Integrated Pharmaceutical Sciences within the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, followed by a Master’s program (2008–2010) at the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He then pursued a PhD (2018–2021) in Life Sciences at the Graduate School of Life Science. During his doctoral studies, Komatsu worked under the Soft Matter Science group, focusing on protein digestibility and nutritional metabolism using advanced analytical methods. His academic training provided him with rigorous grounding in pharma, metabolomics, and nutritional science, fostering his ability to conduct interdisciplinary research. His education set the foundation for later innovation in human milk oligosaccharide research and protein evaluation. It enabled him to integrate pharmaceutical insights with nutritional outcomes demonstrated through in vitro digestion models, NMR metabolomics, and gut microbiome analysis, culminating in a robust research portfolio.
💼 Experience
Yosuke Komatsu has built a solid research career in Japan’s nutrition and food science industry as well as academia. Since June 2024, he has been at KIRIN Holdings, Health Science Research Institute, where he oversees studies on prebiotics, human milk oligosaccharides, and metabolomics. From November 2015 to May 2024, he worked at Morinaga Milk Industry’s Health and Nutrition Science Institute, developing projects related to protein digestibility, dietary amino acid balance, and gut health. Simultaneously, he held adjunct roles at Juntendo University (Apr 2023–Mar 2024) and Hokkaido University (Apr 2017–Mar 2024), bridging academic research and industry. Earlier, from April 2010 to October 2015, he was at Morinaga’s Tokyo Tama Factory. Across these roles, Komatsu has led both laboratory-based and translational studies, supervised student training, collaborated across institutions, and guided patent filings. His experience uniquely blends industrial research, academic collaboration, and leadership in research dissemination through publications and presentations.
🔬 Research Interests
Yosuke Komatsu focuses on the intersection of nutrition, gut microbiota, and protein science. His work encompasses: (1) Prebiotics and Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs)—exploring how HMOs support beneficial gut bacteria like Faecalibacterium prausnitzii via cross‑feeding mechanisms; (2) Protein digestibility and nutritional quality—comparing human milk, formula, plant, insect, and casein proteins under infant digestion models (INFOGEST); (3) Metabolomics and gut microbial metabolites—using NMR to identify biomarkers responsive to protein undernutrition or maternal diet; (4) Nutrition biomarkers such as albumin redox state and urinary taurine to assess protein status. He applies integrative metabolomic, microbiome, transcriptomic, and in vitro digestion techniques. His aim is to elucidate how early‑life nutrition influences microbial ecology, infant growth, and long‑term metabolic health, bridging molecular insights to practical dietary interventions.
🏆 Award
Yosuke Komatsu’s excellent research communication was recognized in August 2023, when he received the Outstanding Presentation Award at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Japan DOHaD Society. This accolade highlighted his oral presentation on maternal diet, human milk nutrient composition, and infant growth outcomes, demonstrating clarity, scientific depth, and relevance to developmental origins of health and disease. The award underscores his ability to present complex findings—such as links between maternal nutrition, HMOs, and infant growth trajectories—in an engaging, compelling manner to expert audiences. This recognition reflects his dedication to advancing nutritional science and his effectiveness as a science communicator. He has also delivered invited lectures at prominent conferences, including the IDF World Dairy Summit and international metabolomics symposia. Together, his award and speaking engagements illustrate both his scientific excellence and his leadership in disseminating research results to diverse scholarly communities.
📚 Top Noted Publications
Below are some of Komatsu’s major publications, each listed with year, journal, and citation link:
Haruka Onodera, Yohei Sato, Yosuke Komatsu, Makoto Yamashita, et al. (2025). “HMOs Induce Butyrate Production of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii via Cross‑Feeding by Bifidobacterium bifidum with Different Mechanisms for HMO Types.” Microorganism. Cited by: [single‑line citations needed] 🔗 (2025).
Keiko Motokawa, Maki Shirobe, … Yosuke Komatsu. (2024). “Is urinary taurine associated with protein intake? Itabashi Longitudinal Study on Aging.” Geriatrics & Gerontology International. Cited by: … 🔗
Yosuke Komatsu, Yasuaki Wada, … “Comparison of protein digestibility of human milk and infant formula using the INFOGEST method under infant digestion conditions.” The British Journal of Nutrition (2024). Cited by: … 🔗
Yosuke Komatsu, Muneya Tsuda, … “Nutritional Evaluation of Milk‑, Plant‑, and Insect‑Based Protein Materials by Protein Digestibility Using the INFOGEST Digestion Method.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2023). Cited by: … 🔗
Yosuke Komatsu … (2023). “Associations between Maternal Diet, Human Milk Macronutrients, and Breast‑Fed Infant Growth during the First Month of Life in the SMILE Iwamizawa in Japan.” Nutrients. Cited by: … 🔗
1. Baseline Digestibility Studies
Komatsu Y, Wada Y, Shibasaki T, Kitamura Y, Ehara T, Nakamura H & Miyaji K. (2024). Comparison of protein digestibility of human milk and infant formula using the INFOGEST method under infant digestion conditions. British Journal of Nutrition, published online 3 June 2024; Volume 132(3): pp 1–26. DOI: 10.1017/S0007114524001260. PMID: 38826083. Affiliation: Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Kanagawa, Japan ACS Publications+2OUCI+2Cambridge Core+2.
2. Broad Protein Source Evaluation
Komatsu Y, Tsuda M, Wada Y, Shibasaki T, Nakamura H & Miyaji K. (2023). Nutritional Evaluation of Milk‑, Plant‑, and Insect‑Based Protein Materials by Protein Digestibility Using the INFOGEST Digestion Method. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 71(5): 2503–2513, published 25 January 2023. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c07273. PMID: 36695832. Affiliations: Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., and Hokkaido University collaboration ACS PublicationsPubMed.
3. Maternal Diet & Infant Growth
Komatsu Y, Wada Y, Tabata F, Kawakami S, Takeda Y, Nakamura K, Ayabe T, Nakamura K, Kimura T & Tamakoshi A. (2023). Associations between Maternal Diet, Human Milk Macronutrients, and Breast‑Fed Infant Growth during the First Month of Life in the SMILE Iwamizawa in Japan. Nutrients, 15(3): 654 (Open Access, published 28 January 2023). DOI: 10.3390/nu15030654 MDPI森永乳業ウェブサイト.
4. Studies Still Pending Full Indexing
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Onodera H, Sato Y, Komatsu Y, Yamashita M, et al. (2025). HMOs Induce Butyrate Production of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii via Cross‑Feeding by Bifidobacterium bifidum with Different Mechanisms for HMO Types. Microorganism (2025). Not yet indexed in major citation databases.
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Motokawa K, Shirobe M, et al. including Komatsu Y. (2024). Is Urinary Taurine Associated with Protein Intake? Itabashi Longitudinal Study on Aging. Geriatrics & Gerontology International (2024). No citation metadata visible in standard scholarly indexes.
Conclusion
Dr. Yosuke Komatsu is highly deserving of consideration for the Best Researcher Award. His contributions are significant in advancing nutritional sciences, particularly in understanding protein quality, maternal-infant health, and microbiome interactions. He has a well-rounded portfolio of peer-reviewed research, translational patents, academic engagements, and presentations.