Scientists were able to determine the lager beer origins by using next-generation sequencing techniques. They were successful in determining the origin of the yeast used to make lager back in the 15th century by Bavarians, Germany.
There are numerous kinds of beers today, such as ciders, pilsners, lagers and ales, to name just a few of the most popular ones. The original yeast called Saccharomycescerevisiae was used to create wine, ales and bread, claim the scientists.
The team of scientists said that lager was unintentionally discovered by Bavarians when they realized that the beer they stored during the winter months in caves continued to ferment. The researchers also discovered that the new type of beer was a lot less cumbersome and more delectable than heavier ales.
This later evolved into a trend, commanding the 20th and 19th century beers, especially in America. Today, lagers make for around 94 percent of the entire beer consumer base worldwide. Yeasts used for lagers are at the moment created from a mix of two different types of yeast. The two types of yeast are called S. eubayanus and S. cerevisiae.
Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison cloned a genome from the S. eubayanus, making use of a next-generation sequencing technology. They analyzed a newly described species of yeast from Patagonia. The scientists compared the S. eubayanus with a traditional lager crossbreed, presently found in lager beers. The findings of the research provided them with knowledge about the thorough genetic profiles of both yeast pedigrees.
The information gathered revealed two evolutions of the S. eubayanus and S. cerevisiae. The results of the study showed that the evolution of yeast has split off into various strains a number of times throughout the times.
Chris Todd Hittinger from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-author of the recent study said that yeasts used in lager did not originate only once. The unlikely connection between two different species, different genetically from one another as birds and humans, happened two times at least.
Hittinger also wrote that brewers had typically recognized just two main types of yeasts: the Frohberg lineage, which is the most common lager yeast used in numerous lagers available at the time, and the Saaz lineage, which isn’t used as often as before at the time.
The scientist also added that even though these two types of yeasts are different, people have been modifying them over the years, until they became the yeasts that we have today.
The recent study was published in the Molecular Biology and Evolution journal.
Image Source: therubi.com
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