Safety Assessment of Dried Miracle Berry (<i>Synsepalum Dulcificum</i>) as a Novel Food for Use in Food and Food Supplements (RP1351)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) received an application from Baïa Food Co. (“the applicant”) for the authorisation of Dried Miracle Berry ( Synsepalum dulcificum ) also referred to as DMB, as a novel food in November 2021. The novel food is produced from drying the pitted fruits (pulp and skin) of Synsepalum dulcificum . The dried mass is then milled into a powder. This new application is seeking to use the novel food as a functional food supplement to modify the taste of sour foods due to the presence of miraculin. The target population is the general population, excluding pregnant and lactating women and children. To support the FSA and FSS in their evaluation of the application, the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) were asked to review the safety dossier and supplementary information provided by the applicant. The views of the Committee were taken into account by the FSA and FSS, who concluded that the applicant had provided sufficient information to assure the novel food, Dried Miracle Berry, was safe under the proposed conditions of use. The anticipated intake levels and the intended use in food and food supplements was not considered to be nutritionally disadvantageous. This safety assessment represents the opinion of the FSA and FSS.