Food enzymes · EFSA · 8 October 2026
Arabinofuranosidase NZYM-GV: no safety concern for sugar, no Union list entry
On 8 October 2026 the EFSA Journal published the FEZ Panel opinion on an extension of use of non-reducing end α-L-arabinofuranosidase from the genetically modified Trichoderma reesei strain NZYM-GV (doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10340, applicant Novozymes A/S). The Panel adopted the opinion on 9 September 2026. It is a risk assessment of one preparation in an additional process, not a marketing authorisation and not a file for a molasses supplement.
The same enzyme was assessed in March 2022 (doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7173, EC 3.2.1.55) for grain treatment producing starch and gluten fractions. TOS was expected to be removed by washing and purification, so dietary exposure was not calculated. The NOAEL from a 90-day rat study was 1116 mg TOS/kg bw/day, the highest dose tested. The new opinion does not open a new strain. It adds beet and cane milling, together with cellulases and endo-1,4-β-xylanases, at up to 1.1 mg TOS per kg of raw material.
Opinion versus listing
| Item | What e10340 says | What it does not allow |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | α-L-arabinofuranosidase, EC 3.2.1.55, GM T. reesei NZYM-GV, Novozymes A/S. The 2022 assessment found no safety concern from the genetic modification; the preparation was free of viable cells and production-organism DNA. | Transfer to cellulase NZYM-FS (e10331) or another Novozymes code. |
| 2026 scope | Extension: beet and cane milling, up to 1.1 mg TOS/kg raw material, to cut sucrose loss in bagasse. | Adding bakery, juice or a food supplement use that is not in this extension. |
| Residue | TOS is not carried into crystallised refined sugar; it remains in molasses. The enzyme was considered inactivated in refined and unrefined sugar production. | A claim that molasses or syrup in a supplement is free of this enzyme’s TOS. |
| Exposure | Estimated from unrefined sugar, 51 surveys, 27 countries. Highest 0.009 mg TOS/kg bw/day (95th percentile, children 3–9). Adults up to 0.002 mg/kg bw/day at the 95th percentile. | Treating 0.009 mg as a supplement dose or an NRV. |
| Toxicity | NOAEL 1116 mg TOS/kg bw/day (2022). MoE at least 124000. | Quoting “124000 times safer” on a sugar or supplement label. |
| Legal status | Scientific opinion published on 8 October 2026. | An entry on the Union list under Regulation 1332/2008. Until a Commission act, Article 17 remains the transitional route. |
Glossary
- TOS
- Total organic solids of the enzyme preparation. The exposure denominator in e10340, not a label dose.
- MoE
- Margin of exposure. Here at least 124000 (1116 / 0.009). A risk-assessment figure, not a label factor.
- Regulation 1332/2008
- The food enzymes regulation. Lawful use turns on the Union list and, until that list is fully operational, on Article 17.
What to do with the opinion
- Match the supplier specification to strain NZYM-GV, EC 3.2.1.55 and Novozymes A/S. Another code is another dossier.
- Keep the use at the 2022 grain process and the beet and cane milling in the 8 October 2026 opinion. Do not add juice, beer or a capsule.
- If the recipe uses molasses or unrefined sugar, ask the supplier about residual TOS. Absence from crystallised sugar does not answer that question.
- Do not cite an MoE of 124000 as a permitted dose. Process safety is not a claim under Regulation 1924/2006.
- Keep batch traceability under Article 18 of Regulation 178/2002 and the Article 17 status under Regulation 1332/2008. Publication of the opinion does not close that path.
Sources
EFSA Panel on Food Enzymes (FEZ), Safety evaluation of an extension of use of the food enzyme non-reducing end α-l-arabinofuranosidase from the genetically modified Trichoderma reesei strain NZYM-GV, EFSA Journal, published 8 October 2026, adopted 9 September 2026, doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10340. Publication list: efsa.europa.eu/en/publications. Baseline opinion: EFSA Journal 2022;20(3):7173, doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7173. Extension figures (1.1 mg TOS/kg raw material, 51 surveys in 27 countries, 0.009 and 0.002 mg TOS/kg bw/day, MoE at least 124000, molasses): Cibum, 8 October 2026, as a report of the opinion. Regulations (EC) No 1332/2008, 1331/2008 and 178/2002.
Not legal advice in an individual matter. Supplemental.pl is the law practice. FOODLAW.ai is the tool platform. C.L.A.I.M.S. searches 2318 claims (2078 SANCO/11074/2013 on-hold plus 240 from Regulation 432/2012) and is not a Commission register.