Isomalto-oligosaccharide

January 2009: Application from Bioneutra Inc, for the authorisation of Isomalto-oligosaccharide (IMO) under the Novel Food Regulation (EC) 258/97. Under evaluation.

IMO is a mixture of glucose oligomers with α-(1-6) linkages such as isomaltose, panose, isomaltotriose, isomaltopentose and higher branched oliogsaccharides. Bioneutra’s IMO (syrup and powder) is composed of smaller saccharides of fewer than three glucose units (15-20%), oligosaccharides of three to six degrees of polymerisation (70-80%) and larger oligomers of seven to nine glucose units (10%).

The applicant intends to incorporate IMO (powder and syrup forms) as a nutritive sweetener and prebiotic in beverages, cereal products and sugar confectionary as well as nutritionally complete and fortified meal replacement bars and meals.

Before any new food product can be introduced on the European market, it must be rigorously assessed for safety. In the UK, the assessment of novel foods is carried out by an independent committee of scientists appointed by the Food Standards Agency, the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP).

Any comments on this application should be sent to the ACNFP Secretariat
by Tuesday 10 February 2009 and will be passed to the Committee when it begins its assessment of this novel food ingredient.

All views/comments received by the Agency will be made available for public examination. If you would prefer your comments NOT to be made publicly available, please indicate this by fully completing and returning the data protection form (attached below) together with your response.

• Application for Isomalto-oligosaccharide (600KB)
• Data protection form (39KB)

http://www.acnfp.gov.uk/assess/fullapplics/Isomalto-oligosaccharide/