28
introduced in the market without proper assessment (Dufossé et al. 2005). The use
of natural products in food enhances their health beneficial properties in an inexpensive and safe manner. Compounds produced by different fungal strains have different effects on human health. They can have varying activities depending not only on
the age group but also on the health condition of an individual. Therefore, it becomes
important to investigate them under different parameters (Kholer et al. 2015).
3.2 History of GRAS
The FDA rooted the Food Additives Amendment on January 1, 1958, and a GRAS
list was prepared. It provides a checklist of more than 500 food ingredients that can
be used as additives and hence were excluded from the confirmation procedure, and
they demand for a pre-market calculation which is required for the assessment of
food elements (Smith et al. 2001). Such food ingredients were defined as “generally
recognized as safe” (GRAS) for their extensive use. However, any food constituent
can be treated as “generally recognized as safe”, if it is accepted by the experts and
the scientists as safe for its comprehensive use for human consumption (Burdock
and Carabin 2004).
There are two ways to consider any compound as GRAS, either by GRAS selfdetermination or by submitting the GRAS petition to the FDA. In GRAS selfdetermination, all the documents related to the ingredients are maintained and made
accessible for purchase and administrative processes. On the other hand, in the
GRAS petition, the FDA sanctions GRAS petition and the ingredients are indexed
in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (Frestedt 2018).
3.3 Fungi in All Quarters
Fungi exist anywhere in the environment. They can have very microscopic magnitude or may be present as fruiting bodies such as moulds or mushrooms. They have
the ability to rapidly proliferate and can tolerate a large range of pH (Pitt and
Hocking 1997; Perrone et al. 2007). Fungi live in a harmonious relationship with
animals, plants, parasites and other fungi. They play a very important role in the
environment as they have constitutional role in nutrient cycle and have the ability to
dissolve biological material. They are directly used as food source such as mushrooms in human diet. They are also used in the distillation process for the preparation of food such as soya sauce, beer and wine. Fungi had been used in the
manufacturing of antibiotics for a very long time, and more recently their role in the
production of enzyme for use in detergent industries has also gained momentum.
The advantageous trait of fungi is that they can be grown in ample dimension inclusive of extreme environment, whether it is beneath the sea (Rampelotto 2013),
N. Singh and S. Gaur
introduced in the market without proper assessment (Dufossé et al. 2005). The use
of natural products in food enhances their health beneficial properties in an inexpensive and safe manner. Compounds produced by different fungal strains have different effects on human health. They can have varying activities depending not only on
the age group but also on the health condition of an individual. Therefore, it becomes
important to investigate them under different parameters (Kholer et al. 2015).
3.2 History of GRAS
The FDA rooted the Food Additives Amendment on January 1, 1958, and a GRAS
list was prepared. It provides a checklist of more than 500 food ingredients that can
be used as additives and hence were excluded from the confirmation procedure, and
they demand for a pre-market calculation which is required for the assessment of
food elements (Smith et al. 2001). Such food ingredients were defined as “generally
recognized as safe” (GRAS) for their extensive use. However, any food constituent
can be treated as “generally recognized as safe”, if it is accepted by the experts and
the scientists as safe for its comprehensive use for human consumption (Burdock
and Carabin 2004).
There are two ways to consider any compound as GRAS, either by GRAS selfdetermination or by submitting the GRAS petition to the FDA. In GRAS selfdetermination, all the documents related to the ingredients are maintained and made
accessible for purchase and administrative processes. On the other hand, in the
GRAS petition, the FDA sanctions GRAS petition and the ingredients are indexed
in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (Frestedt 2018).
3.3 Fungi in All Quarters
Fungi exist anywhere in the environment. They can have very microscopic magnitude or may be present as fruiting bodies such as moulds or mushrooms. They have
the ability to rapidly proliferate and can tolerate a large range of pH (Pitt and
Hocking 1997; Perrone et al. 2007). Fungi live in a harmonious relationship with
animals, plants, parasites and other fungi. They play a very important role in the
environment as they have constitutional role in nutrient cycle and have the ability to
dissolve biological material. They are directly used as food source such as mushrooms in human diet. They are also used in the distillation process for the preparation of food such as soya sauce, beer and wine. Fungi had been used in the
manufacturing of antibiotics for a very long time, and more recently their role in the
production of enzyme for use in detergent industries has also gained momentum.
The advantageous trait of fungi is that they can be grown in ample dimension inclusive of extreme environment, whether it is beneath the sea (Rampelotto 2013),
N. Singh and S. Gaur