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Science to find the secret to a better brew

Date: 20/02/2007

The summer heat may lead many Australians to down a beer or two but few would give much thought to the science behind their favourite brew. However, researchers at the University of Western Sydney believe the secret to creating the perfect beer could be in how well you treat the yeast.

Dr Vince Higgins, from the School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, is taking the mystery out of brewing by identifying which yeast genes influence flavour and how they respond to different conditions.

He says adjusting environmental conditions at the time of brewing has a dramatic impact on the flavour of beer.

"Flavour develops mainly in the early stages of fermentation, so our focus is on the physiological changes of yeast in these stages," says Dr Higgins.

The study, which has recently received an Australian Research Council grant, is in collaboration with the University of NSW and Foster's Australia.

Dr Higgins will use functional genomics - the science of understanding the function of genes - to reveal how the products of yeast genes can affect flavour.

"By using sophisticated DNA microarray analysis we can determine how all 6,000 yeast genes are expressed under a particular set of conditions."

Dr Higgins stresses this is not genetic engineering; rather the research provides a window into the genetic and molecular activity of yeast.

"Changing conditions, like temperature, triggers different combinations of genes and even different responses from the same genes - all of which plays a significant role in the outcome of the fermentation and ultimately the flavour of beer."

Dr Higgins believes yeast is also the key to improving the shelf life of beer.

"Yeast cells, just like our own cells, need oxygen. But sometimes detrimental by-products called reactive oxygen species, or free radicals, are produced. In brewing, free radicals affect the product's stability.

"Finding ways, at the molecular level, to reduce free radical production would extend shelf life and a deliver a bottle of beer to your hand as fresh as the day it was brewed," says Dr Higgins.

Dr Peter Rogers, from Foster's, says the research will provide benefits to consumers and brewers.

"I don't think we can ever fully take the mystery and the magic out of beer making, it's a biological process after all. However, the more we know about our yeast and the more versatile we are at using this knowledge, the more choice we have to make great tasting beers with superior shelf life," says Dr Rogers.

Ends

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Paul Grocott
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