Glucosylated steviol glycosides assessed as a new food additive
What it found
The panel found no safety concern for glucosylated steviol glycosides when used as a new food additive at the proposed levels.
The existing daily intake limit for steviol glycosides also applies to these.
What they found
What they are
Glucosylated steviol glycosides are a mixture with 1 to 20 extra glucose units attached to the parent steviol glycosides. They contain at least 95% total steviol glycosides on a dry, dextrin-free basis.
How they are made
They are made by an enzyme, cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase, from a non-genetically modified strain of Anoxybacillus caldiproteolyticus. The enzyme moves glucose from starch onto steviol glycosides taken from dried stevia leaves.
How the body handles them
The panel considered that the body handles glucosylated steviol glycosides in a way that is sufficiently similar to steviol glycosides that had already been evaluated.
Daily intake limit
The existing acceptable daily intake for steviol glycosides of 4 mg per kg body weight per day, expressed as steviol, can also be applied to glucosylated steviol glycosides.
Specifications
The panel recommended some changes to the applicant's proposed specifications for glucosylated steviol glycosides. These concern the assay, the definition of the new food additive, and the proposed maximum limits for arsenic.
What the authors conclude
“The Panel concluded that there is no safety concern for the use of glucosylated steviol glycosides as a new food additive at the proposed use and use levels.”
Also in their conclusions
- They concluded that there is no safety concern for the use of glucosylated steviol glycosides as a new food additive at the proposed use and use levels.
- They recommended some modifications to the specifications proposed by the applicant for glucosylated steviol glycosides with respect to the assay, the definition of the proposed new food additive and the proposed maximum limits for arsenic.
How it was done
Glucosylated steviol glycosides were proposed for use as a new food additive in different food categories, so their safety needed to be checked.
The panel looked at how glucosylated steviol glycosides are made and how the body handles them, and compared them with steviol glycosides that had already been evaluated. They used the earlier toxicological data on steviol glycosides to support the safety assessment.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This assessment relied on toxicological data from steviol glycosides that had already been evaluated, rather than new studies on glucosylated steviol glycosides themselves.
- It does not show what happens when people eat glucosylated steviol glycosides in real life over long periods.
The paper
- Title
- Safety evaluation of glucosylated steviol glycosides as a food additive in different food categories
- Type
- Scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF), Younes M, Aquilina G, et al (2022). Safety evaluation of glucosylated steviol glycosides as a food additive in different food categories. EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7066Free full textPubMed 35154440DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error