Is this cheese-making enzyme safe?
Safety evaluation of the food enzyme 6‐Phytase from the genetically modified Trichoderma reesei strain AR‐766
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The highest tested dose in rats caused no adverse effects—meaning the true toxic dose is even higher than 947 mg/kg.
Most toxicity studies find some effect at high doses; hitting the maximum dose without harm is rare and indicates exceptional safety.
Practical Takeaways
You can confidently consume baked goods, cereals, and plant-based milks containing 6-Phytase without safety concerns.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The highest tested dose in rats caused no adverse effects—meaning the true toxic dose is even higher than 947 mg/kg.
Most toxicity studies find some effect at high doses; hitting the maximum dose without harm is rare and indicates exceptional safety.
Practical Takeaways
You can confidently consume baked goods, cereals, and plant-based milks containing 6-Phytase without safety concerns.
Publication
Journal
EFSA Journal
Year
2025
Authors
Holger Zorn, José Manuel Barat Baviera, C. Bolognesi, Francesco Catania, G. Gadermaier, Ralf Greiner, Baltasar Mayo, A. Mortensen, Y. Roos, Marize L. M. Solano, Monika Sramkova, Henk van Loveren, L. Vernis, C. Fernández‐Fraguas, D. Cavanna, A. Criado, S. Lunardi, Yi Liu
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Claims (6)
This lab-made enzyme in food doesn't seem to damage DNA or cause genetic changes, based on standard lab tests using bacteria and animal cells.
A rat study found that even the highest dose of 6-Phytase tested didn’t cause any real harm, even though there were tiny changes in blood tests that scientists didn’t think mattered.
Toddlers in Europe might be exposed to up to a tiny amount — 0.071 milligrams per kilogram of body weight — of an enzyme called 6-Phytase each day from foods like bread, cereals, and plant-based milks, especially if it's added at the highest allowed levels. Older kids and adults likely get much less.
This protein doesn't look much like any known allergens, so it's unlikely to trigger allergic reactions in people.
Even if someone eats a lot of food with 6-Phytase, the amount they’d get is thousands of times lower than the highest dose that didn’t harm rats — so it’s likely very safe.