Safety evaluation of amylomaltase from Thermus aquaticus.

A recombinant amylomaltase, MQ-01, obtained by cultivation of Bacillus subtilis expressing the amylomaltase gene from Thermus aquaticus is to be used in the production of enzymatically-synthesized glycogen; which is intended for use as a food ingredient. In order to establish the safety of MQ-01, the enzyme was subjected to standard toxicological testing. In a battery of standard Salmonella typhimurium strains (TA98, TA100, TA1535, and TA1537) and in Escherichia coli WP2 uvrA, both with and without metabolic activation, MQ-01 failed to exhibit mutagenic activity.