Modification to the List of Permitted Food Enzymes (invertase)

Notice of Modification – Lists of Permitted Food Additives
Reference number: MFAA-2613
November 10, 2026

Summary

The purpose of this notice is to announce that Health Canada modified the List of Permitted Food Enzymes to authorize the use of invertase from Trichoderma reesei strain AR-996 as a food enzyme in unstandardized fruit and vegetable products at a maximum level of use of "Good Manufacturing Practice" (GMP) ^{Footnote 1}, as shown in Table 1.

This modification comes into force on November 10, 2026.

Background

The food additives authorized for use in Canada are set out in the Lists of Permitted Food Additives. These lists are incorporated by reference into Division 16 of the Food and Drug Regulations.

A person, company or organization (referred to as the petitioner) may ask Health Canada to authorize a new food additive use by filing a food additive submission.

Issue

Health Canada received a food additive submission requesting that invertase from T. reesei AR-996 be authorized for use as a food enzyme at a maximum level of use of GMP in the following foods:

• Unstandardized fruit and vegetable products
• Unstandardized fruit and vegetable juice drinks

At the time the request was filed, invertase from Aspergillus fijiensis and invertase from Aspergillus japonicus were authorized for use as food enzymes in sucrose used in the production of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and invertase from Saccharomyces sp. was authorized for use in unstandardized bakery products and certain confectionery products. However, this enzyme was not permitted in the foods requested by the petitioner and T. reesei AR-996 was not an authorized source for any food enzyme in Canada.

The petitioner explained that invertase from T. reesei AR-996 catalyzes a reaction that causes sucrose to break down into glucose and fructose, and catalyzes a separate reaction that produces short-chain fructooligosaccharides from sucrose. The petitioner provided data demonstrating that invertase from T. reesei AR-996 effectively lowered the overall sugar (sum of glucose, fructose, and sucrose) content and increased the short-chain fructooligosaccharide (as kestose, kestotetraose, and kestopentaose) content of two fruit juices, a vegetable juice, and a fruit purée, which are representative of the requested use of the enzyme.

Rationale

Health Canada completed a premarket assessment of invertase from T. reesei AR-996 for its requested use. The assessment considered potential dietary exposure to invertase from T. reesei AR-996 and other food safety aspects (allergenicity, chemistry, microbiology, molecular biology, nutrition, and toxicology), as well as technical information pertaining to efficacy.

The outcome of Health Canada's assessment supports authorizing the use of invertase from T. reesei AR-996, as set out in Table 1. The unstandardized fruit and vegetable products and unstandardized fruit and vegetable juice drinks requested by the petitioner are captured by the food categories set out in Column 3.

Modification to the list

Health Canada has authorized the requested use of invertase from T. reesei AR-996 by adding the new subitem I.2(3) to the List of Permitted Food Enzymes, as shown in Table 1.

Other relevant information

Food additive specifications

Food additives authorized for use in Canada must meet the specifications set out in the Table of Food Additive Specifications, if they exist.

Food additives which do not have specifications in this table must meet the specifications, if any, set out in the latest edition of one of the following documents:

• Food Chemicals Codex ^{Footnote 2}
• Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications ^{Footnote 3}

Other considerations

In the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR), the term unstandardized, when used in relation to a food, means that a standard is not set out in the Food Compositional Standards Document for that food (the Food Compositional Standards Document means the Canadian Food Compositional Standards (CFCS)).

This meaning of "unstandardized" also applies when the term is used in the Lists of Permitted Food Additives, as the Lists are incorporated by reference into the FDR.

Foods that are imported into Canada or traded interprovincially are subject to both the FDR and the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). The SFCR incorporates by reference a separate set of compositional standards, set out in the Canadian Standards of Identity document. See Standards of identity for food.

As a result, foods subject to both the FDR and SFCR must comply with the requirements of both regulatory frameworks. If a food is unstandardized under the FDR but standardized under the SFCR, a food additive that is permitted in unstandardized foods under the FDR is only allowed in the food if the standard under the SFCR also permits the additive in the food.

The manufacturer or distributor of a food is responsible for ensuring full compliance with Canadian regulations.

Implementation and enforcement

The modification shown in Table 1 comes into force on November 10, 2026, the day of its publication in the List of Permitted Food Enzymes.

You can consult the Notices of Proposal and Notices of Modification web page to stay informed of this modification. You can also register for Health Canada's Consultation and Stakeholder Information Management System to be automatically notified when these notices are issued.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for the enforcement of the Food and Drugs Act and Safe Food for Canadians Act and their associated regulations with respect to foods.

Contact information

If you wish to submit an inquiry or new scientific information about a food additive authorized permitted for use in Canada, please contact Health Canada's Bureau of Chemical Safety.

If your communication is specific to this notice, please write "invertase (MFAA-2613)" in the subject line of your message.

Bureau of Chemical Safety
Food and Nutrition Directorate
251 Sir Frederick Banting Driveway
Postal locator 2202C
Tunney's Pasture
Ottawa ON K1A 0K9
Email: bcs-bipc@hc-sc.gc.ca

Useful links

Health Canada:

• Food Additives: Overview

Canadian Food Inspection Agency:

• Permitted synonyms for food additives