A process for the purification of a neutral human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) in a batch manner or in a continuous manner from a fermentation broth obtained by microbial fermentation using a recombinant microorganism, the fermentation broth comprising the neutral human milk oligosaccharide, biomass, medium components and contaminants, the neutral human milk oligosaccharide being selected from the group consisting of 2' -fucosyllactose, 3-fucosyllactose, 2',3-difucosyllactose, lacto- N -triose II, lacto- N -tetraose, lacto- N -neotetraose, lacto- N- fucopentaose I, lacto- N -neofucopentaose, lacto- N -fucopentaose II, lacto- N -fucopentaose III, lacto- N -fucopentaose V, lacto- N- neofucopentaose V, lacto- N -difucohexaose I, lacto- N -difucohexaose II, 6'-galactosyllactose, 3'- galactosyllactose, lacto- N -hexaose and lacto- N- neohexaose, and the contaminants being selected from the group consisting of monovalent salts, divalent salts, amino acids, polypeptides, proteins, organic acids and nucleic acids, wherein the fermentation broth is applied to the following purification steps: i) separation of the biomass from the fermentation broth, ii) a cation exchanger treatment for the removal of positively charged material, iii) an anion exchanger treatment for the removal of negatively charged material, iv) a nanofiltration step and/or a diafiltration step and/or an electrodialysis step, wherein a purified solution containing the neutral HMO at a purity of ≥ 80% and being free from DNA and proteins of the microbial fermentation strain is provided. the fermentation broth comprising the neutral human milk oligosaccharide, biomass, medium components and contaminants, the neutral human milk oligosaccharide being selected from the group consisting of 2' -fucosyllactose, 3-fucosyllactose, 2',3-difucosyllactose, lacto- N -triose II, lacto- N -tetraose, lacto- N -neotetraose, lacto- N- fucopentaose I, lacto- N -neofucopentaose, lacto- N -fucopentaose II, lacto- N -fucopentaose III, lacto- N -fucopentaose V, lacto- N- neofucopentaose V, lacto- N -difucohexaose I, lacto- N -difucohexaose II, 6'-galactosyllactose, 3'- galactosyllactose, lacto- N -hexaose and lacto- N- neohexaose, and the contaminants being selected from the group consisting of monovalent salts, divalent salts, amino acids, polypeptides, proteins, organic acids and nucleic acids, wherein the fermentation broth is applied to the following purification steps: i) separation of the biomass from the fermentation broth, ii) a cation exchanger treatment for the removal of positively charged material, iii) an anion exchanger treatment for the removal of negatively charged material, iv) a nanofiltration step and/or a diafiltration step and/or an electrodialysis step, i) separation of the biomass from the fermentation broth, ii) a cation exchanger treatment for the removal of positively charged material, iii) an anion exchanger treatment for the removal of negatively charged material, iv) a nanofiltration step and/or a diafiltration step and/or an electrodialysis step, wherein a purified solution containing the neutral HMO at a purity of ≥ 80% and being free from DNA and proteins of the microbial fermentation strain is provided. <EOS>