FSANZ Call for Comment on Use of GM-Derived Enzyme in Beer Production
Credit: Tembela Bohle via Pexels
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is calling for comment on an application to allow the use of alpha-glucosidase—a permitted enzyme processing aid derived from a genetically modified (GM) source—for the brewing of beer. If approved, the enzyme could be used as a processing aid in the manufacture of beer, including low-alcohol and lower-carbohydrate beer.
Alpha-glucosidase is already approved to be used as processing aid in a range of foods, but not in beer. The enzyme is produced from a GM strain of the fungus Trichoderma reesei, which has a long history of safe use as the source of enzyme processing aids, including several that are already permitted in the Food Standards Code.
FSANZ’s safety assessment found no health and safety concerns associated with the use of alpha-glucosidase for the manufacturing of beer.
For more information and to access assessment documents, visit the FSANZ call for comment page. Submissions close on April 25, 2023.
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