Safety evaluation of lipase produced from Candida rugosa: summary of toxicological data.

The toxicity of lipase AY, an enzyme preparation used in lipid hydrolysis to produce flavors, was evaluated in a series of studies. A 13-week dietary toxicity study in Sprague-Dawley (Crj:CD) rats was conducted in which animals received lipase AY in the feed at concentrations of 0, 625, 1250, or 2500 mg/kg body wt. No adverse treatment-related effects were observed. Lack of genotoxic potential was demonstrated by the results of an in vitro reverse mutation assay in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98, TA100, TA1535, and TA1537 and in Escherichia coli strain WP2 uvrA, by an in vitro forward mutation assay in L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells, and by an in vitro chromosome aberration test in CHL/IU cells derived from fibroblasts of the lungs of Chinese hamsters. Finally, the particular strain of Candida rugosa, the yeast strain used to prepare lipase AY, has been shown to be nonpathogenic upon a single injection into the tail vein of rats of viable spores at doses up to 1.5x10(7) colony-forming units per animal. The results of these studies demonstrate that the enzyme preparation may be considered safe to workers and consumers when employed in the production of flavors from fats.