Biomin’s FUMzyme is slated to become the first-ever purified enzyme authorized by the EU as substances with proven mycotoxin counteracting properties. FUMzyme is the first purified enzyme that biotransforms fumonisins into non-toxic metabolites, thereby marking a momentous development for mycotoxin risk management.
Following the positive Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCFCAH) votes, the publication of the respective EU regulations would be the next and final stage toward confirming the efficacy of FUMzyme as a mycotoxin-deactivating product.
FUMzyme was originally isolated from the fumonisin degrading soil bacteria Sphingopyxis sp. MTA 144 and identified as fumonisin esterase by the Biomin Research Center. The product's efficacy in degrading fumonisins to compounds of significantly lower toxicity was proven by the sphinganine/sphingosine ratio in several short- and long-term feeding studies conducted with pigs. The sphinganine/sphingosine ratio is considered the most sensitive biomarker for fumonisin toxicosis.
The trials consistently demonstrated that the addition of FUMzyme significantly reduced the sphinganine/sphingosine ratio of pigs fed fumonisin-contaminated diets with levels above and below EU guidance limits. EFSA concluded in the Scientific Opinion published in May 2014, that FUMzyme is safe not only for animals, humans and the environment, but also demonstrably efficacious in pigs.
In 2013, Biomin became the first company to receive the European Commission authorization for feed additives with mycotoxin-counteracting properties. The authorizations were for the deoxynivalenol-biotransforming product Biomin BBSH 797 and the aflatoxin-binding bentonite Mycofix Secure.
