Posted on 10/07/2022 11:35:45 AM PDT by Red Badger
Today's tall cylindrical fermentation tanks that have replaced the shorter vats of breweries in the past have tended to negatively impact the taste of the resulting beer – but now scientists have stepped in to improve the taste of our booze.
These tall tanks can produce more beer for less money – they're easier to fill, empty and clean – but their widespread adoption also means excess pressure from the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation, and that affects flavor.
The researchers began by identifying strains of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast that were particularly CO2-resistant, focusing on the production of isoamyl acetate that gives beer its fruity, banana-like flavor.
After finding a particularly robust strain, the team then used a whole-genome sequence analysis to figure out what made it so adept at being able to keep its fruity flavor even under the pressure of modern fermentation tanks.
"To our surprise, we identified a single mutation in the MDS3 gene, which codes for a regulator apparently involved in production of isoamyl acetate, the source of the banana-like flavor that was responsible for most of the pressure tolerance in this specific yeast strain," says molecular biologist Johan Thevelein, from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium.
With this discovery, the researchers were then able to use the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technique to engineer the same mutation in other yeast strains. After editing, these strains could better withstand CO2 pressure and better retain their flavor.
Further down the line, many yeast strains could be modified in the same way, leading to beers with a fuller flavor when they're poured.
So far, it doesn't appear that other traits of the yeast strain are affected by the genetic edits.
"The mutation is the first insight into understanding the mechanism by which high carbon dioxide pressure may compromise beer flavor production," says Thevelein.
Before now, it hasn't been clear exactly how high CO2 pressure has been having an impact on beer flavor at the molecular level, even though the end results in terms of the drop in fruitiness have been easy to taste.
In the future, the researchers want to run experiments with even higher CO2 pressures to see if different genes are identified. A number of other genes showed promise in this study too, though MDS3 was the dominant one.
The same gene identification technology has also previously been used to highlight other important traits in yeast, including the production of glycerol (a sugary alcohol that adds to the taste), and tolerance towards increased temperatures.
The authors are up front about the fact the work was supported by a brewing company, which hopes to make use of the technology in a patent.
While other brands of brew might miss out on the technology, the study does demonstrate the potential benefits in applying CRISPR to tweaking yeast's talents for making an exceptional drop.
"This work shows the strong potential of polygenic analysis and targeted genetic modification for creation of cisgenic industrial brewer's yeast strains with specifically improved traits," write the researchers in their published paper.
The research has been published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
Trending News Watch A Great White Become an Orca's Lunch in World-First Footage NATURE 2 days ago The Mysterious Phenomenon of Déjà Vu Is Finally Closer to Being Explained HUMANS 2 days ago Traces of Fungi Found Growing Inside Tumors Could Be Linked With Patient Outcomes HEALT
Truly nasty.
I don't think bacon flavored beer would be much better.
teeth whitening looks big over there.
.
Yes, it does.
We are NOT however obliged to cooperate.
It's nice to know we still have some scientists working for the betterment of mankind.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoked_beer
I had some Smoke Beer in Germany.
Really nasty stuff!.................
Or Coors. 😖
Just a couple of months ago, I had a nice, cold Sam Adams Summer Ale and liked it enough to buy a six-pack, which a visiting friend and I consumed a couple of weeks ago. I should pick up another six.
I’ve discovered a lot of locally brewed stuff that I like. I really like witbiers and I can’t stand IPAs.
Try this test.
If you can find it, buy a 6 pack of TsingTao beer. Drink one as the 1st beer of the day. I think you will find it to be absolutely delicious. Now pretend you have no more TsingTao and open up a can or bottle of your favorite brew. Take a sip and you will thing your favorite brew has been sabotaged by one of your prankster friends.
This never happens if you run out of Bud and switch to Millers or Coors,
“Free beer tastes really good. As long as it is really C O L D !!!”
Any light beer? Blech!
should be easy since its tastes like piss now.
Oh my.
The founding fathers met routinely in the lead up to the revolutionary phase of our country to primarily swap beer recipes and tastings. The availability of barley, wheat, and hops was spotty at best. One of Washington’s contributions to keeping up beer production was fermented molasses and citrus peel with coriander added.
Yup. Pretty much my concept of heaven.
That Beer looks pretty tasty to me!
What? With bug piss?
Yeah, they’re going ro make beer taste awful instead of horrible.
Give me a single malt scotch instead.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.