"Pharming has notified the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that its hLF is generally recognised as safe for use as an ingredient in functional foods," the firm said in a statement.
Lactoferrin is a protein found in both cows' and human milk and is particularly concentrated in colostrum, the substance newborns receive at birth before breast milk is fully established.
It is thought to offer significant health benefits, and derived from cow's milk and colostrum is already sold as a nutritional supplement and ingredient in functional foods to boost the immune system.
Recent research suggested that lactoferrin also inhibits bone breakdown and boosts bone growth.
Along with other added value whey fractions, it is seeing strong growth, hitting 20 per cent per year in some geographical areas, according to research from 3A Business Consulting.
Pharming has developed a novel manufacturing process - using a herd of transgenic animals - to make significant quantities of the lactoferrin with a partner in New Zealand.