VIEW ARTICLE    DOI: 10.1094/ASBCJ-36-0175

Application of Yeast Genetics Within the Brewing Industry. A Review. G. G. Stewart, Labatt Breweries of Canada Ltd., London, Ontario, Canada. J. Am. Soc. Brew. Chem. 36:0175, 1978.

A brewing yeast strain must remove specific nutrients from wort and impart desired flavor to beer, and after fulfilling their metabolic role, the microorganisms must be effectively removed from the fermented wort. The strain's heredity and environment influence these functions. Environmental influences on yeast performance have been studied extensively, but the influence of genetic makeup has been neglected until recently. Although strains of Saccharomyces generally are diploid in the vegetative phase and haploid spores can be induced, genetic work involving brewer's yeast strains is complicated by their frequent triploid, polyploid or aneuploid nature. The strains sporulate poorly and rarely form spores in fours in the ascus, and many of the spores that form are nonviable. However, hybridization, transformation, spheroplast fusion, mutation and DNA recombination could potentially be used to genetically manipulate brewer's yeast strains; review of the methods indicates that spheroplast fusion apparently has the greatest potential. Guidelines for handling DNA recombinant material are reviewed, and an attempt is made to place the potential hazards of DNA recombination in proper perspective.

Keywords: Brewer's yeast, Brewing, Fermentation, Flocculation, Genetics, Maltose/maltotriose, Manipulation, Yeast