Kerry has announced that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued a positive scientific opinion on Acrylerase, the company’s amidase food enzyme designed to reduce acrylamide levels in coffee extracts used for instant coffee and coffee substitutes.

The development comes amid increasing regulatory scrutiny of acrylamide in coffee products across the EU. Acrylamide, a process contaminant formed during high-temperature roasting, is considered a substance of concern due to its genotoxic and carcinogenic properties.

Under EU Regulation 2017/2158, food manufacturers are required to implement mitigation measures and monitor acrylamide levels in line with the ALARA ('As Low As Reasonably Achievable') principle.

According to Kerry, Acrylerase is the first commercially available food enzyme specifically developed to directly decompose acrylamide after it has formed, rather than attempting to limit its creation through process modifications or precursor reduction.

The EFSA opinion confirms the safety of the enzyme for use in coffee extracts intended for instant coffee and coffee substitutes. Kerry described it as the first scientific assessment of an amidase for hydrolysing acrylamide in these applications under the EU regulatory framework.

Yasemin Koybasi, global regulatory director at Kerry, said: “A positive EFSA opinion is a significant milestone for Acrylerase and for manufacturers evaluating new ways to mitigate acrylamide. It reflects the rigor of the EU food enzyme evaluation process and provides important reassurance on the safety of Acrylerase for its intended applications.”

Kerry said the enzyme can reduce acrylamide levels by up to 90% under relevant processing conditions without affecting taste, aroma or product yield. The company added that the technology is designed to integrate into existing industrial coffee-processing workflows without requiring recipe or operational changes.

The announcement also strengthens Kerry’s broader food enzyme portfolio, which focuses on supporting manufacturers with food safety, quality and regulatory compliance challenges across multiple categories.

Ronan Moloney, vice president of enzymes at Kerry, said: “This milestone demonstrates how targeted enzyme innovation can help solve real-world manufacturing and food safety challenges. Acrylerase delivers measurable value for customers while supporting compliance with increasingly complex regulatory requirements.”

Acrylerase was developed in collaboration with ANKA, which provided expertise in coffee chemistry, roasting dynamics and industrial processing applications. Kerry said the partnership helped translate the enzyme technology into a scalable solution for coffee manufacturers.