Modification to the Lists of Permitted Food Additives  to Extend  the Use of ( 1) Citric Acid and Asparaginase from 
Aspergillus niger  ASP72 to Blackstrap Molasses Destined for the Manufacture of Confectionery Glazes for 
Snack Foods and (2) Asparaginase from Aspergillus niger  ASP72 to Green Coffee  
 
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    1 
  
Notice of Modification to the  Lists of Permitted Food 
Additives  to Extend the Use of  (1) Citric Acid and 
Asparaginase from Aspergillus niger  ASP72 to Blackstrap 
Molasses Destined for the Manufacture of Confectionery 
Glazes for Snack Foods and (2) Asparaginase from 
Aspergillus niger  ASP72 to Green Coffee   
 
Notice of Modification – Lists of Permitted Food Additives  
Reference Number: [NOM/ADM -0105] 
Octo ber 2, 2017  
 Modification to the Lists of Permitted Food Additives  to Extend  the Use of ( 1) Citric Acid and Asparaginase from 
Aspergillus niger  ASP72 to Blackstrap Molasses Destined for the Manufacture of Confectionery Glazes for 
Snack Foods and (2) Asparaginase from Aspergillus niger  ASP72 to Green Coffee  
 
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    2 Summary  
 
Food additives are regulated in Canada under Marketing Authorizations  (MAs) issued by the 
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 approve a new additive or a new condition of use for an already 
approved food additive by filing a f ood additive submission with the Department's Food 
Directorate.  Health Canada uses this premarket approval process to determine whether the 
scientific data support the safety of food additives when used under specified conditions in foods 
sold in Canada.  
 
Health Canada received a food additive submission seeking approval for the use of asparaginase 
from Aspergillus  niger  (A. niger ) ASP72  in blackstrap molasses  and green coffee . The intended 
purpose of use is to reduce the amount of naturally present asparagine in these foods that could  
react to  form acrylamide during heat processing .  In the case of blackstrap molasses, citric acid is 
also to be used as part of the asparaginase treatment process  to enhance the efficacy  of the 
enzyme .   
 
Asparaginase f rom A. niger  ASP72  is already permitted for use as a food enzyme in bread, flour, 
whole wheat flour and unstandardized foods, and a sparaginase from two other source organisms 
is already permitted for use to treat  green coffee. Asparaginase has not previous ly been permitted 
in blackstrap molasses . Blackstrap molasses treated with asparaginase is intended to be primarily 
used as an ingredient in a snack food glaze.   
 
Citric acid has numerous permitted food additive uses, but it has not previously been authorized 
for use in blackstrap molasses or any other standardized type of molasses.  
 
Health Canada’s evaluation of available scie ntific data support the safety of asparaginase from 
A. niger  ASP72  for use to treat blackstrap molasses and green coffee,  and citric acid for use in 
blackstrap molasses  as part of the asparaginase treatment process,  as set out in the table s below .  
Therefore, Health Canada has modified the  List of Permitted Food Enzymes  to extend the use of  
asparaginase from A. niger  ASP72  and the List of Permitted pH Adjusting Agents, Acid -Reacting 
Materials and Water Correcting Agents  to extend the use of citric acid by adding the  entries  
show n below to the Lists. 
 
Modification s to the Lists of Permitted Food Additives  
 
New sub -items 3 and 4 have been added to Columns 3 and 4 of item A.3 of the List of Permitted 
Food Enzymes  as follows:    
 Modification to the Lists of Permitted Food Additives  to Extend  the Use of ( 1) Citric Acid and Asparaginase from 
Aspergillus niger  ASP72 to Blackstrap Molasses Destined for the Manufacture of Confectionery Glazes for 
Snack Foods and (2) Asparaginase from Aspergillus niger  ASP72 to Green Coffee  
 
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    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  
A.3 Asparaginase  Aspergillus 
niger  ASP72  (3) 
Blackstrap molasses 
destined for the 
manufacture of 
confectionery glazes for 
snack foods  (3) 
Good Manufacturing  
Practice   
(4) 
Green coffee  (4) 
Good Manufacturing 
Practice  
 
New sub -item 9 has been added to Columns 2 and 3 of item C.14 of  the List of Permitted pH 
Adjusting Agents, Acid -Reacting Materials and Water Correcting Agents  as follows:  
 
Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted in or Upon Column 3  
Maximum Level of Use and 
Other Conditions  
C.14 Citric Acid  (9) 
Blackstrap molasses destined for 
the manufacture of confectionery  
glazes for snack foods , treated 
with asparaginase in accordance 
with item A.3 of the List of 
Permitted Food Enzymes  (9) 
Good Manufacturing Practice   
 
Rationale  
 
Health Canada’s F ood Directorate completed a pre market safety assessment of asparaginase 
from A. niger  ASP72 for treating  blackstrap molasses that is to be used in a snack food glaze and 
for treating  green coffee, and of citric acid to be used as part of the asparaginase treatment 
process for the blackstrap molasses.  The assessment  did not identify any food safety co ncerns 
with these uses of these additives.   Therefore, the Department has enabled th ese uses of 
asparaginase from A. niger  ASP72  by modifying the  List of Permitted Food Enzymes  and this  
use of citric acid by modifying the List of Permitted pH Adjusting Agents, Acid -Reacting 
Materials and Water Correcting Agents  as shown  in the above table s. 
 
   
 Modification to the Lists of Permitted Food Additives  to Extend  the Use of ( 1) Citric Acid and Asparaginase from 
Aspergillus niger  ASP72 to Blackstrap Molasses Destined for the Manufacture of Confectionery Glazes for 
Snack Foods and (2) Asparaginase from Aspergillus niger  ASP72 to Green Coffee  
 
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    4 Other Relevant Information  
 
The Food and Drug Regulations  require that food additives such as asparaginase and citric acid  
that do not have food -grade specifications set out in Part B of the Regulations meet the most 
recent food -grade specifications set out in the Food Chemicals Code x or the Combined 
Compendium of Food Additive Specifications .  The Food Chemicals Codex  is a compendium of 
standards for purity and identity for food ingredients, including food additives, published by the 
United States Pharmacopeial Convention.  The Combi ned Compendium of Food Additive 
Specifications  and its associated General Specifications and Considerations for Enzyme 
Preparations  are both prepared by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives 
(JECFA)  and published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.  
 
Implementation and Enforcement  
 
The above modification s came into force October 2, 2017 , the day they were  published in the 
List of Permitted Food Enzymes  and the List of Permitted pH Adjusting Agents, Acid -Reacting 
Materials and Water Correcting Agents . 
 
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 any new scientific information on 
the safety in use of any food additive, including  asparaginase from A. niger  ASP72 and  citric 
acid.  Anyone wishing to submit new scientific information on the use of these additives  or to 
submit any inquiries may do so in writing, by regular mail or electronically.   If you wish to 
contact the Food Directorate electronically, please use the  words  “asparaginase and citric 
acid”  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 0L2  
E-mail: bcs-bipc@hc -sc.gc.ca