Notice of Modification to the List of 
Permitted Food Enzymes  to Enable the 
Use of beta -Glucanase, C ellulase , and 
Xylanase from Rasamsonia emersonii  
in a Variety of F oods  
 
Notice of Modification  – Lists of Permitted Food 
Additives  
Reference Number: NOM/ADM-0205 
June  28, 2023 
 Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Food Enzymes  to Enable the Use of beta -Glucanase, Cellulase, and Xylanase from 
Rasamsonia Emersonii  in a Variety of Foods | 2 
 Summary  
Food additives are regulated in Canada under Marketing Authorizations  (MAs) issued by th e Minister of 
Health and the Food and Drug Regulations  (Regulations) . Approved food additives and their permitted 
conditions of use are set out in the Lists of Permitted Food Additives  that are incorporated by reference in 
the MAs and published on the Canada.ca website. A petitioner can request that Health Canada authorize  a 
new additive, or a new source or a new condition of use for an already  permitt ed food additive, by filing a 
food additive submission with the Department's Food Directorate. Health Canada uses this premarket 
authorization  process to determine whether the scientific data support the safety of food additives when 
used under specified c onditions in foods sold in Canada.  
Health Canada’s Food Directorate received a food additive submission seeking authorization  for the use of a 
mixture of beta -(β)-glucanase, cellulase, and xylanase from Rasamsonia emersonii  in bread, breakfast cereals, 
flour and whole wheat flour, malt extract (syrup and dried powder), unstandardized bakery products , and 
various plant -based foods . The requested maximum level of use is Good Manufacturing Practice . 
β-Glucanase , cellulase, and xylanase from R. emersonii  are already permitted for use in brewers’ mash. 
Glucanase from other sources is permitted for use in unstandardized bakery products, and cellulase from 
Trichoderma reesei  A83 and xylanase from other sources are p ermitted for use in bread, flour, whole wheat 
flour, and unstandardized bakery products.  Each  enzyme  is expected to function similarly in the other plant -
based foods requested by the petitioner (i.e. malt extract, breakfast cereals, and plant -based beverag es) as it 
does in the food or foods where it is already permitted for use .  
 
According to the petitioner, t he source organism, R. emersonii,  is capable of producing β-glucanase, cellulase, 
and xylanase simultaneously during fermentation. The claimed benefi t of this enzyme mixture is that it offers 
all three enzyme activities to achieve the same effects in food applications without having to add each 
enzyme individually.  
 
The results of the Food Directorate’s evaluation of available sci entific data support the safety  of β-glucanase, 
cellulase, and xylanase from R. emersonii  when used as set out in the table  below .  Therefore, Health Canada 
has modified the List of Permitted Food Enzymes  to enable  the use of β-glucanase, cellulase, and xylanase 
from R. emersoni i by adding  a new entry for β-glucanase as subitem G.2(i)  and new entries to item s C.2 and 
X.1 as shown in the table below  (in bold font in this Notice to illustrate the change) . For the definition of 
“Good Manufacturing Practice” set out in column 4 as a Maximum Level of Use, see the  Marketing 
Authorization for Food Additives That May Be Used as Food Enzymes .  
 
Modification s to the List of Permitted Food Enzymes  
The following entries  were added to the List of Permitted Food Enzymes  (bold font not used in the list) : 
Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted Source  Column 3  
Permitted in or Upon  Column 4  
Maximum Level of Use 
and Other Conditions  
C.2 
 
 Cellulase  
 
 Rasamsonia emersonii  
(previous name: 
Talaromyces 
emersonii )  (1) 
Bread; Flour; Whole 
wheat flour  (1) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(2) (2) Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Food Enzymes  to Enable the Use of beta -Glucanase, Cellulase, and Xylanase from 
Rasamsonia Emersonii  in a Variety of Foods | 3 
 Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted Source  Column 3  
Permitted in or Upon  Column 4  
Maximum Level of Use 
and Other Conditions  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Breakfast cereals  Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(3) 
Brewers’ mash  (3) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(4) 
Malt extract  
 (4) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(5) 
Plant -based products 
that resemble dairy 
products; Plant -based 
products that resemble 
dairy -based products  (5) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(6) 
Plant -based products 
that resemble meat 
products including  
simulated meat 
products ; Plant -based 
products that resemble 
poultry meat products 
including simulated 
poultry products  (6) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(7) 
Unstandardized bakery 
products  (7) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
G.2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 (i) β-
Glucanase  
 
 
 
 Rasamsonia 
emersonii  (previous 
name: Talaromyces 
emersonii )  
 
 
 
 
 (1) 
Bread; Flour; Whole 
wheat flour  (1) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(2) 
Breakfast cereals  (2) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(3) 
Brewers’ mash  (3) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(4) (4) Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Food Enzymes  to Enable the Use of beta -Glucanase, Cellulase, and Xylanase from 
Rasamsonia Emersonii  in a Variety of Foods | 4 
 Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted Source  Column 3  
Permitted in or Upon  Column 4  
Maximum Level of Use 
and Other Conditions  
  
 
 Malt extract  
 Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(5) 
Plant -based products 
that resemble dairy 
products; Plant -based 
products that resemble 
dairy -based products  (5) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(6) 
Plant -based products 
that resemble meat 
products including 
simulated meat 
products; Plant -based 
products that resemble 
poultry meat products 
including simulated 
poultry products  (6) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(7) 
Unstandardized bakery 
products  7) 
Good  Manufacturing 
Practice  
X.1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Xylanase  
 
 
 
 Rasamsonia emersonii  
(previous name: 
Talaromyces 
emersonii )  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 (1) 
Bread; Flour; Whole 
wheat flour  (1) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(2) 
Breakfast cereals  2) 
Good Manufacturing  
Practice  
(3) 
Brewers’ mash  (3) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(4) 
Malt extract  
 (4) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(5) 
Plant -based products 
that resemble dairy 
products; Plant -based (5) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Food Enzymes  to Enable the Use of beta -Glucanase, Cellulase, and Xylanase from 
Rasamsonia Emersonii  in a Variety of Foods | 5 
 Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted Source  Column 3  
Permitted in or Upon  Column 4  
Maximum Level of Use 
and Other Conditions  
products that resemble 
dairy -based products  
(6) 
Plant -based products 
that resemble meat 
products including 
simulated meat 
products; Plant -based 
products that resemble 
poultry meat products 
including simulated 
poultry products  (6) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
(7) 
Unstandardized bakery 
products  (7) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
 
Consequential Modification  
The permitted use of glucanase from Rasamsonia emersonii  (previous name: Talaromyces emersonii ) and 
xylanase from th e same  source in Brewers’ mash was previously set out in items G.2 and X.1 , respectively,  of 
the List of Permitted Food Enzymes  by the source organism name being shown in column 2 , together with the 
permitted source  Disporotrichum dimorphosporum  DXL-1. To keep th e permitted use of glucanase (which 
was β -glucanase ) and xylanase from R. emersonii  and also extend the use of these two enzymes to the other 
foods shown  in the table above, without affecting the permitted use of glucanase and xylanase from D. 
dimorphosporum  DXL-1, the source  name “ Rasamsonia emersonii  (previous name: Talaromyces emersonii )” 
was removed from being grouped with D. dimorphosporum  DXL-1 in items G.2 and X.1,  and the new entries 
for β-glucanase  and xylanase from R. emersonii  shown in the table above were added to the List.  
 
Rationa le 
Health Canada’s Food Directorate completed a premarket safety assessment of  β-glucanase, cellulase and 
xylanase  from  R. emersonii  for use as  food enzyme s in a variety of foods . The Directorate  considered 
allergenicity, chemistry, microbiology, nutrition, and toxicology in the assessment. The results of the 
assessment support the safety of  β-glucanase, cellulase and xylanase  from  R. emersonii  for their  requested 
use. Therefore, Health Canada  has enabled the requested use of β-glucanase, cellulase and xylanase  from  R. 
emersonii  by adding to the List of Permitted Food Enzymes  the new text shown in the above table.  
 Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Food Enzymes  to Enable the Use of beta -Glucanase, Cellulase, and Xylanase from 
Rasamsonia Emersonii  in a Variety of Foods | 6 
 Other Relevant Information  
Food additives such as β-glucanase, cellulase and xylanase  are required to meet food -grade specifications set 
out in Part B of the Regulations , where such specifications exist,  or those set out in the  most recent  edition of 
the Food Chemicals Codex  or the Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications  where there are no 
specifications in Part B . The Food Chemicals Codex  is a compendium of food -grade spe cifications  for food 
ingredients, including food additives, published by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention. 
Specifications in the  Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications  and its associated General 
Specifications and Considerations for Enzyme Preparations  are prepared by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert 
Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) , both of which are  published by the Food and Agriculture Orga nization 
of the United Nations.  
Implementation and Enforcement  
The above modification came into force June  28, 2023, the day it was published  in the  List of Permitted Food 
Enzymes . 
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for the enforcement of the Food and Drugs Act and its 
associated regulations with respect to foods.   
Contact Information  
Health Canada's Food Directorate is committed to reviewing new scientific information on the safety in use of 
any permitted  food additive . Anyone wishing to submit an inquiry or new scientific information on the use of 
a permitted food additive  may do so in writing, by regular mail or electr onically.  If you wish to contact the 
Food Directorate electro nically  about β-glucanase, cellulase, and xylanase  from  R. emersonii , please use the 
words " beta -glucanase, cellulase,  and xylanase (NOM -0205)” in the subject line of your e -mail.  
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate  
251 Sir Frederick Banting Driveway  
Tunney’s Pasture, PL: 2202C  
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9  
E-mail: bcs-bipc@hc -sc.gc.ca