Skyr Cultures
Lactic acid bacteria used as dairy starter cultures have a long history of safe use and are GRAS for fermenting milk. They are listed under the EFSA Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) framework.
What it is
Specific bacterial starter cultures used to ferment milk into Icelandic skyr; typically a blend of thermophilic Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and traditional skyr-specific strains.
Fermentation: convert lactose to lactic acid, producing the characteristic thick, tangy texture of skyr.
What regulators actually say
"Cultured milk... is the food produced by culturing one or all of the optional dairy ingredients with a characterizing microbial culture."
"The QPS approach... a generic safety assessment for selected groups of microorganisms... including many lactic acid bacteria used as starter cultures."
Regulatory status
United States — FDA
Lactic acid bacteria starter cultures are GRAS; cultured milk products covered by 21 CFR 131.112.
European Union — EFSA
Component bacteria listed under EFSA QPS (Qualified Presumption of Safety).
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