Lysine

Description

Lysine is an essential amino acid.

Application

Lysine has generally been approved as a "taste-influencing substance" for food (exception: ground corn products, non alcoholic beverages). A declaration within the scope of the ingredients is not necessary.

• Ingredient for dietary food.
• Also: additive in feed, especially for chickens

Gene technology

World wide about 700.000 tons lysine with microorganisms are produced. The feed additive has been established as an alternative to meat and bone meal.
BASF is one of the world’s largest producer of lysine. For the production the bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum is used, whose production through undirected mutation with a following selection was considerably increased.

Lysine can also be produced with aid of genetically modified microorganisms. It must be assumed that this procedure has been used commercially.

Labelling food: Lysine as taste-influencing substance in foods is not subject to a labelling requirement since it is not an ingredient.

Lycine is regarded as an ingredient in diet products. Amino acids are not subject to a labelling requirement, if they are produced in a closed system with the aid of GM microorganisms. Prerequisite is that the amino acid is purified and does not contain any microorganisms.

Labelling feed: Amino acids as ingredient of feed are subject to a labelling requirement. The same regulations as for food apply.