Nomenclature changes to Lactobacillus
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- Background
- Nomenclature changes to Lactobacillus when making health claims
- Transition period to make nomenclature changes
Background
Many species of the Lactobacillus genus are used in food, including several that are beneficial to human health. Over several decades, the Lactobacillus genus became considerably complex and diverse, creating difficulties in species identity and communication. In 2020, extensive revisions were made to the taxonomy of LactobacillusFootnote 1 that resolved the widened heterogeneity and changed the nomenclature.
Nomenclature changes to Lactobacillus when making health claims
The taxonomic revisions that were made to the nomenclature or scientific naming (i.e., genus, species) of Lactobacillus means that in many cases the genus names were changed but the species names were not changed. When identifying the Lactobacillus content in food that are the subject of health claim(s), changes may be required on labels and/or in advertising.
Non-strain-specific health claims
Changes to the nomenclature of Lactobacillus impacts some of the eligible Lactobacillus species that can make the non-strain-specific claims. Please refer to the "Table of Nomenclature Changes of Eligible Lactobacillus Species" (below), which outlines the "Previous names"Footnote 2, and the "New names" (i.e., the changed nomenclatureFootnote 3).
| Previous name (genus, species) |
New name (genus, species) |
Nomenclature Status |
|---|---|---|
| Lactobacillus acidophilus | Lactobacillus acidophilus | No change |
| Lactobacillus casei | Lacticaseibacillus casei | Changed |
| Lactobacillus fermentum | Limosilactobacillus fermentum | Changed |
| Lactobacillus gasseri | Lactobacillus gasseri | No change |
| Lactobacillus johnsonii | Lactobacillus johnsonii | No change |
| Lactobacillus paracasei | Lacticaseibacillus paracasei | Changed |
| Lactobacillus plantarum | Lactiplantibacillus plantarum | Changed |
| Lactobacillus rhamnosus | Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus | Changed |
| Lactobacillus salivarius | Ligilactobacillus salivarius | Changed |
Strain-specific health claims
Changes to the nomenclature of Lactobacillus also affects strain(s) of Lactobacillus species that are the subject of strain-specific health claimsFootnote 5 (further described in Health claims about microorganisms and the use of probiotic).
Transition period to make nomenclature changes
Regulated parties are expected to align with the updated nomenclature changes to labelling by January 1, 2028. A transition period is provided to industry to allow sufficient time to make any changes to food labels and advertising.
During the transition period, either the "Previous name" or the "New name" of the strain(s) of Lactobacillus species that is the subject of a health claim can be displayed on food labels and in advertising. Regulated parties should use only one of the following options on a food label or advertisement to ensure an erroneous impression is not created regarding the Lactobacillus content of the food:
- The "Previous name" of the strain(s) of Lactobacillus species, using the format of:
[Genus] [species] strain [X]; or
Example: Lactobacillus casei ABC123 - The "New name" of the strain(s) of Lactobacillus species along with the "Previous name" in parentheses with the term, "Formerly", using the format of:
[Genus] [species] strain [X] (Formerly [Genus] [species] strain [X]); or
Example: Lacticaseibacillus casei ABC123 (Formerly Lactobacillus casei ABC123) - The "New name" of the strain(s) of Lactobacillus species, using the format of:
[Genus] [species] strain [X]
Example: Lacticaseibacillus casei ABC123
We recommend using only one consistent naming option on labels and in advertising when implementing the changes, rather than using a mixture of naming options. For example, it is not recommended to use one option to identify the strain(s) of Lactobacillus species in the list of ingredients, and another option as part of the health claim statement.
Related link
References:
- Footnote 1
-
Zheng J, Wittouck S, Salvetti E, Franz CMAP, Harris HMB, Mattarelli P, O'Toole PW, Pot B, Vandamme P, Walter J, Watanabe K, Wuyts S, Felis GE, Gänzle MG, Lebeer S. A taxonomic note on the genus Lactobacillus: Description of 23 novel genera, emended description of the genus Lactobacillus Beijerinck 1901, and union of Lactobacillaceae and Leuconostocaceae. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2020 Apr;70(4):2782-2858. doi: 10.1099/ijsem.0.004107. Epub 2020 Apr 15. PMID: 32293557
- Footnote 2
-
The use of "Previous names" in this document refers to the previous nomenclature of the Lactobacillus species which is no longer the correct name (please see endnote #3 for definition of "correct name"). The previous nomenclature is similar in meaning to the term, "synonym" in taxonomy. Taxonomic "synonyms" are retained, classical name(s) that hold different statuses and cannot be used interchangeably, as only one name is the correct name at any one time.
- Footnote 3
-
The use of "New names (i.e., changed nomenclature)" in this document refers to the changed or updated, and "correct name" of the Lactobacillus species. The "correct name" of an organism (e.g. Lactobacillus) in taxonomical nomenclature is the one, correct name that is to be used for the organism, based on valid publication, legitimacy and publication priority under the rules of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP).
- Footnote 4
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The nomenclature changes affect only Lactobacillus; the nomenclature of Bifidobacterium in the Table of eligible microorganisms and acceptable non-strain specific claims have not changed.
- Footnote 5
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The most current nomenclature should be used to identify microorganism strain(s), based on valid publication, legitimacy and publication priority under the rules of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP). To find the most current nomenclature of bacteria, examples of online resources include NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) Taxonomy at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/taxonomy, and the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) at http://www.bacterio.net/.
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