World News | UK Scientists Find New Yeast Strains for Flavoured Beer

London, Nov 18 (PTI) In a new study looking at the fundamentals of biology, scientists at the University of Manchester and the University of Leicester have developed unique fertile hybrid yeast strains that offer novel options for flavours, aromas, and brewing processes for the beverage industry.

The newly created hybrid yeast strains have been shown to successfully breed and produce offspring with specific desirable characteristics required for the beverage manufacturing process.

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Naturally, hybrid yeasts are infertile, and their specific characteristics cannot be passed on. This previously required brewers to use selective methods to achieve the desired traits and has meant that the fermentation industries have so far missed out on potential new characteristics that the large genetic diversity of yeast hybrids affords.

“This technology has the ability to revolutionise the current practices for strain selection by allowing, via breeding, the rapid creation of efficient tailored yeasts carrying specific, novel, and important traits,” said Professor Daniela Delneri, the lead author of the research from the University of Manchester.

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“As well as opening opportunities in food and drink production, this approach could be used to develop novel yeast ‘cell factories' that could be used in the field of industrial biotechnology to sustainably biomanufacture pharmaceuticals, chemicals and fuels,” she said.

The type of yeast used in the fermentation process influences how a beer tastes once it has been brewed. There are currently two main categories of yeasts, ale and lager, plus hundreds of variations used by modern day brewers in a booming global industry. Developing yeasts to give new flavours has been a goal of many brewers since the 1800s.

The study, reported in the ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' (PNAS), explains how the scientists have succeeded in producing fertile yeast hybrids that are able to breed and generate a large number of progenies with diverse genetic traits.

“With my colleague Professor Ed Louis at the University Leicester, we were able to overcome species barriers and pinpoint the genetic traits unique to the hybrids,” added Delneri.

This research demonstrates how the potential for enhancing natural biodiversity and developing new hybrids is greater than expected and will offer new ways for industry to generate new and exciting consumer choices.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)