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Research article2018Peer reviewedOpen access

Update of the list of QPS-recommended biological agents intentionally added to food or feed as notified to EFSA 7: suitability of taxonomic units notified to EFSA until September 2017

Ricci, Antonia; Allende, Ana; Bolton, Declan; Chemaly, Marianne; Davies, Robert; Girones, Rosina; Koutsoumanis, Konstantinos; Lindqvist, Roland; Nørrung, Birgit; Robertson, Lucy; Ru, Giuseppe; Fernández Escámez, Pablo Salvador; Saana, Moez; Simmons, Marion; Skandamis, Panagiotis; Snary, Emma; Speybroeck, Niko; Ter Kuile, Benno; Threlfall, John; Wahlström, Helene;
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Abstract

The qualified presumption of safety (QPS) concept was developed to provide a harmonised generic pre-evaluation to support safety risk assessments of biological agents performed by EFSA's scientific Panels. The identity, body of knowledge, safety concerns and antimicrobial resistance of valid taxonomic units were assessed. Safety concerns identified for a taxonomic unit are, where possible and reasonable in number, considered to be qualifications' which should be assessed at the strain level by the EFSA's scientific Panels. No new information was found that would change the previously recommended QPS taxonomic units and their qualifications. The BIOHAZ Panelconfirms that the QPS approach can be extended to a genetically modified production strain if the recipient strain qualifies for the QPS status, and if the genetic modification does not indicate a concern. Between April and September 2017, the QPS notification list was updated with 46 applications for market authorisation. From these, 14 biological agents already had QPS status and 16 were not included as they are filamentous fungi or enterococci. One notification of Streptomyces K-61 (notified as former S.griseoviridis) and four of Escherichia coli were not considered for the assessment as they belong to taxonomic units that were excluded from further evaluations within the current QPS mandate. Eight notifications of Bacillus thuringiensis and one of an oomycete are pending the reception of the complete application. Two taxonomic units were evaluated: Kitasatosporaparacochleata, which had not been evaluated before, and Komagataellaphaffii, previously notified as Pichia pastoris included due to a change in the taxonomic identity. Kitasatosporaparacochleata cannot be granted QPS status due to lack of information on its biology and to its possible production of toxic secondary metabolites. The species Komagataellaphaffii can be recommended for the QPS list when used for enzyme production. (c) 2018 European Food Safety Authority. EFSA Journal published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd on behalf of European Food Safety Authority.

Keywords

safety; QPS; bacteria; yeast; Kitasatospora paracochleata; Komagataella phaffii

Published in

EFSA Journal
2018, Volume: 16, number: 1, article number: 5131

    UKÄ Subject classification

    Food Science

    Publication identifier

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5131

    Permanent link to this page (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/98606