Safety evaluation of a novel muramidase for feed application

Area of Science:

• Enzymology
• Animal Nutrition
• Toxicology

Background:

• Muramidase 007 is an enzyme produced by Trichoderma reesei, intended for use as a digestive aid in broiler chicken feed.
• The enzyme is derived from a gene isolated from Acremonium alcalophilum.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive safety evaluation of Muramidase 007 for its intended use in animal feed.
• To assess potential risks to target animals (broiler chickens), non-target organisms, and human workers.

Main Methods:

• In vitro mutagenicity and clastogenicity assays.
• 90-day subchronic toxicity studies in rats.
• In vitro skin and eye irritation tests.
• Acute aquatic toxicity tests on daphnia and algae.
• 6-week tolerance study in broiler chickens.

Main Results:

• Muramidase 007 was non-mutagenic and non-clastogenic in vitro.
• No adverse effects were observed in rats during subchronic toxicity studies up to 1132 mg TOS/kg body weight/day.
• The enzyme showed no skin or eye irritation potential and no acute aquatic toxicity.
• Broiler chickens fully tolerated Muramidase 007 at doses up to 10 times the maximum recommended level without adverse effects.

Conclusions:

• Muramidase 007 is toxicologically inert and poses no worker safety concerns with standard precautions and a non-dusty formulation.
• The enzyme is well-tolerated by broiler chickens and does not harm the environment.
• The safety profile aligns with the natural occurrence and properties of similar enzymes.