Following the positive SCFCAH votes, the publication of the respective EU regulations would be the next and final stage towards 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.
FUMzyme®, the result of years of intensive research at the BIOMIN Research Center in Austria, exemplifies the innovation lead of BIOMIN in developing revolutionary strategies to counteract mycotoxins.