Safety assessment of flavor ingredients produced by genetically modified organisms

Flavor is a primary determinant for food choice. Food flavors are complex mixtures of individual flavor ingredients which are often natural constituents of food, and can be produced through physical means, chemical synthesis, or more recently, through modern biotechnology. Biotechnology processes may include fermentation, enzymolysis, and cell and tissue culture, with and without the use of genetic modification. The use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) presents certain issues relevant to the safety assessment of flavor ingredients. The longstanding safety assessment program of the FEMA Expert Panel has been revised to account for the production of flavor ingredients through the use of GMOs so that such flavor ingredients can be evaluated for status as generally recognized as safe (GRAS).