Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/652 of 2 April 2025 amending Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and the Council and Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 as regards the use of Steviol glycosides produced by fermentation using Yarrowia lipolytica
Date: 2025-04-02
Institutions: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
Subjects: bioprocess, consumer protection, food inspection, food safety, human nutrition, labelling, microorganism, public health, sweetener








L_202500652EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2025/652


3.4.2025







            COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2025/652
of 2 April 2025
         
amending Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and the Council and Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 as regards the use of Steviol glycosides produced by fermentation using Yarrowia lipolytica

(Text with EEA relevance)


THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,


Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on food additives (1), and in particular Article 10(3) and Article 14 thereof,


Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 establishing a common authorisation procedure for food additives, food enzymes and food flavourings (2), and in particular Article 7(5) thereof,

Whereas:







(1)


Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 lays down a Union list of food additives approved for use in foods and their conditions of use.












(2)


Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 (3) lays down specifications for food additives listed in Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.












(3)


Those lists may be updated in accordance with the common procedure referred to in Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008, either on the initiative of the Commission or following an application.












(4)


Steviol glycosides obtained by three different manufacturing processes, namely, steviol glycosides from Stevia (E 960a), enzymatically produced steviol glycosides (E 960c) and glucosylated steviol glycosides (E 960d) are authorised as food additives and defined by separate specifications. These additives are regulated combined as defined in Part C of Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 (‘the group of steviol glycosides (E 960a-960d)’) with maximum limits expressed as steviol equivalents.












(5)


In September 2021, an application was received for amending the speciﬁcations for the group of steviol glycosides (E 960a-960d) to include a new method for the production of steviol glycosides, namely, of rebaudioside M produced from fermentation by Yarrowia lipolytica. Rebaudioside M from fermentation produced by Yarrowia lipolytica consists of not less than 95 % rebaudioside M, D, A and B and is obtained by fermentation of a source of simple sugar, using the genetically modified strain VRM of Yarrowia lipolytica. It is intended to be used under the same conditions as those already authorised for the group of steviol glycosides (E 960a-960d). The application was made available to the Member States pursuant to Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008.












(6)


On 24 October 2023, the European Food Safety Authority (‘the Authority’) adopted its opinion on the evaluation of the safety of rebaudioside M produced by fermentation using Yarrowia lipolytica (4). In its opinion, the Authority concluded that there is no safety concern for rebaudioside M, produced by fermentation using Yarrowia lipolytica to be used as a food additive for the proposed uses and at the proposed use levels, taking into account the existing ADI of 4 mg/kg bw per day (expressed as steviol equivalents). The Authority considered that this production method may result in impurities different from those that may be present in the other steviol glycosides, produced in accordance with the applicable respective specifications for E 960a, E 960c and E 960d. Therefore, the Authority considered that separate speciﬁcations are needed for the food additive produced via the manufacturing process described in the current application.












(7)


It is therefore appropriate to authorise the use for the proposed uses and at the proposed use levels of rebaudioside M produced by fermentation using Yarrowia lipolytica.












(8)


Taking into account the International Numbering System for food additives of the Codex Alimentarius, it is appropriate to authorise the food additive under the name ‘Steviol glycosides from fermentation’ (E 960b).












(9)


As the food additive steviol glycosides from fermentation (E 960b) may be used combined with additives from the group of steviol glycosides (E 960a–960d) in the food categories where those additives are currently authorised and at the same maximum levels as them, it should be added to the group of steviol glycosides (E 960a–960d) in Part C of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.












(10)


The specifications for ‘Steviol glycosides from fermentation’ should be included in Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 in parallel with its inclusion in the Union list of food additives laid down in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. Taking into account that other methods of production for steviol glycosides from fermentation (E 960b) could be authorised in the future, it is appropriate to include the specification as ‘E 960b(i) rebaudioside M from fermentation produced by Yarrowia lipolytica’.












(11)


Regulations (EC) No 1333/2008 and (EU) No 231/2012 should therefore be amended accordingly.












(12)


The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,





HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:



Article 1
Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 is amended in accordance with Annex I to this Regulation.


Article 2
The Annex to Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 is amended in accordance with Annex II to this Regulation.


Article 3
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.




This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 2 April 2025.


For the Commission


The President

Ursula VON DER LEYEN
            





(1)  
            OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 16, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2008/1333/oj.

(2)  
            OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2008/1331/oj.

(3)  Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 of 9 March 2012 laying down specifications for food additives listed in Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 83, 22.3.2012, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2012/231/oj).

(4)  
            EFSA Journal 2023; 21:e8387.




ANNEX I
Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 is amended as follows:






(a)


in point 2 (Sweeteners) of Part B, the following entry is inserted after the entry for E 960a:






‘E 960b


Steviol glycosides from fermentation’














(b)


in point (5) (Other additives that may be regulated combined) of Part C, point (v) is replaced by the following:






‘(v)


E 960a – 960d: Steviol glycosides






E-number


Name




E 960a


Steviol glycosides from stevia




E 960b


Steviol glycosides from fermentation




E 960c


Enzymatically produced steviol glycosides




E 960d


Glucosylated steviol glycosides’

















ANNEX II
In the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 the following entry is inserted after the entry for food additive E 960a:
‘E 960B(I)   REBAUDIOSIDE M FROM FERMENTATION PRODUCED BY YARROWIA LIPOLYTICA











Synonyms



 





Definition



Rebaudioside M from fermentation produced by Yarrowia lipolytica consist of a mixture of steviol glycosides composed of rebaudioside M as the main componant, with some rebaudioside D, and smaller amounts of rebaudioside A and rebaudioside B. The manufacturing process comprises two main phases. The first phase involves fermentation of a simple sugar source by a non-toxigenic non-pathogenic strain of Yarrowia lipolytica that has been genetically modified with heterologous genes to overexpress genes which are involved in the synthesis of steviol glycosides to result in the strain VRM (CBS 147477). Removal of biomass by solid-liquid separation and heat treatment is followed by concentration of the steviol glycosides. The second phase involves purification by employing ion exchange chromatography, followed by cristallisation of the steviol glycosides from ethanol, resulting in a final product containing not less than 95 % of rebaudiosides M, D, A and B. Viable cells and DNA of Yarrowia lipolytica VRM shall not be detected in the food additive.




Chemical name


Rebaudioside A: 13-[(2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl)oxy]kaur-16-en-18-oic acid, β-D- glucopyranosyl ester
Rebaudioside B: 13-[(2-O-β–D-glucopyranosyl-3-O-β–D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl)oxy]kaur-16-en-18-oic acid
Rebaudioside D: 13-[(2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl)oxy]kaur-16-en-18-oic acid, 2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester
Rebaudioside M: 13-[(2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl)oxy]kaur-16-en-18-oic acid, 2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester




Molecular formula



Trivial name




Formula




Conversion factor





 


Rebaudioside A


C44 H70 O23



0,33




Rebaudioside B


C38 H60 O18



0,40




Rebaudioside D


C50H80O28



0,29




Rebaudioside M


C56H90O33



0,25




Molecular weight and CAS No



Trivial name




CAS Number




Molecular weight (g/mol)





Rebaudioside A


58543-16-1


967,01 




Rebaudioside B


58543-17-2


804,88 




Rebaudioside D


63279-13-0


1 129,15 




Rebaudioside M


1220616-44-3


1 291,30 




Assay


Not less than 95 % of rebaudioside M, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside A and rebaudioside B, on the dried basis.




Particle size


Not more than 0,5 % of particles of less than 300 nm (by STEM method)





Description



White to light yellow powder, approximately between 200 and 350 times sweeter than sucrose (at 5 % sucrose equivalency).





Identification





Solubility


Slightly soluble in water




pH


Between 4,5 and 7,0 (1 in 100 solution)





Purity





Total ash


Not more than 1 %




Loss on drying


Not more than 6 % (105 °C, 2h)




Residual solvent


Not more than 5 000  mg/kg ethanol




Kaurenoic acid


Not more than 0,3 mg/kg (measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry detection)




Arsenic


Not more than 0,01 mg/kg




Lead


Not more than 0,01 mg/kg




Cadmium


Not more than 0,01 mg/kg




Mercury


Not more than 0,05 mg/kg





Microbiological criteria





Total (aerobic) plate count


Not more than 1 000  CFU/g




Yeast and moulds


Not more than 100 CFU/g





Escherichia coli



Negative in 1 g





Salmonella spp.



Negative in 25 g




Residual protein


Not more than 20 mg/kg’







ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/652/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)