Tryptophan

Description

Tryptophan belongs to the essential amino acids.

Application

Tryptophan is used:

• in dietary foods and as dietary supplement
• as feed additive

Gene technology

Tryptophan can be produced with genetically modified microorganisms. This technique is applied commercially, but few details are available on the scope in which this takes place.

The genetical production of tryptophan became the subject of public dialogue when, in 1989-90 and especially in the US, approximately 1500 people fell ill - some of them suffering fatal consequences (EMS syndrome). The trigger was high-potency contamination in a tryptopan compound from a certain Japanese manufacturer. The affected patients had taken the compound as a dietary supplement or calmative. The producer had applied new versions types of genetically modified microorganisms in the production of tryptophan. To this date, it has not been proven beyond doubt what the exact cause of this catastrophe was, i.e. a "side effect" of the genetical modification of the production bacteria, or the insufficient purification or filtration of the tryptophan compound.

Labelling food: amino acids that have been produced in a closed system with help of GM microorganisms are not subject to a labelling requirement, prequisite being that the respective amino acid has been purified and does not contain any microorganisms.

Labelling feed: aminos acids as components in feed are subject to a labelling requirement. Basically, the same regulations as for food apply.