Applications of Fungi and Fungal-Derived Ingredients in the QPS and GRAS Systems

Filamentous fungi are representative eukaryotic microorganisms that are widely used in the food industry for the production of organic acids, enzymes, minerals, and other value-added compounds. However, ensuring their safety is a prerequisite for their application in food production. Two major regulatory approaches relevant to the safety of microbial food production are the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) framework and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) approach. The EFSA QPS framework evaluates eligible taxonomic units, whereas FDA GRAS Notices concern specified substances produced under defined conditions, including substances manufactured using yeasts, filamentous fungi, and mushrooms. Among these, several species of filamentous fungi, particularly members of the genus Aspergillus, have been widely used for the industrial production of food enzymes and other commercially important bioproducts. Notably, selected strains of Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus niger have a long history of industrial use in the production of enzymes, organic acids, and other industrial products. Enzymes produced by A. oryzae and A. niger are used in food processing as well as in animal feed to improve animal nutrition and digestion. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the Aspergillus taxa evaluated under the QPS approach and GRAS Notices involving Aspergillus production organisms or derived substances and discusses their current and potential applications in the food industry.