The Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) process for industrial microbial enzymes

Abstract

The Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) process is well suited for enzymes, given the general availability of scientific data supporting enzyme safety, and the generally recognized (peer-reviewed) methodology and decision trees for evaluating the safety of microbial enzymes used in food processing and in animal feed, respectively. In this paper we describe the elements of a safety evaluation of an enzyme used in food and feed and how the available published data and information related to each element can form the basis for a determination of GRAS for an intended use.