title: A large set of newly created interspecific Saccharomyces hybrids increases aromatic diversity in lager beers.
abstract: Lager beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world. Its production process is marked by a fermentation conducted at low (8 to 15°C) temperatures and by the use of Saccharomyces pastorianus, an interspecific hybrid between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the cold-tolerant Saccharomyces eubayanus. Recent whole-genome-sequencing efforts revealed that the currently available lager yeasts belong to one of only two archetypes, "Saaz" and "Frohberg." This limited genetic variation likely reflects that all lager yeasts descend from only two separate interspecific hybridization events, which may also explain the relatively limited aromatic diversity between the available lager beer yeasts compared to, for example, wine and ale beer yeasts. In this study, 31 novel interspecific yeast hybrids were developed, resulting from large-scale robot-assisted selection and breeding between carefully selected strains of S. cerevisiae (six strains) and S. eubayanus (two strains). Interestingly, many of the resulting hybrids showed a broader temperature tolerance than their parental strains and reference S. pastorianus yeasts. Moreover, they combined a high fermentation capacity with a desirable aroma profile in laboratory-scale lager beer fermentations, thereby successfully enriching the currently available lager yeast biodiversity. Pilot-scale trials further confirmed the industrial potential of these hybrids and identified one strain, hybrid H29, which combines a fast fermentation, high attenuation, and the production of a complex, desirable fruity aroma.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Genetics and Genomics, Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics (CMPG), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Laboratory for Systems Biology, VIB, Bio-Incubator, Leuven, Belgium Leuven Institute for Beer Research, KU Leuven, Bio-Incubator, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Stijn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mertens
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Genetics and Genomics, Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics (CMPG), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Laboratory for Systems Biology, VIB, Bio-Incubator, Leuven, Belgium Leuven Institute for Beer Research, KU Leuven, Bio-Incubator, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Steensels
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Genetics and Genomics, Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics (CMPG), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Laboratory for Systems Biology, VIB, Bio-Incubator, Leuven, Belgium Leuven Institute for Beer Research, KU Leuven, Bio-Incubator, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Veerle
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Saels
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Enzyme, Fermentation, and Brewing Technology, KU Leuven, Technology Campus Ghent, Ghent, Belgium Leuven Institute for Beer Research, KU Leuven, Bio-Incubator, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Rouck
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Enzyme, Fermentation, and Brewing Technology, KU Leuven, Technology Campus Ghent, Ghent, Belgium Leuven Institute for Beer Research, KU Leuven, Bio-Incubator, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aerts
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Genetics and Genomics, Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics (CMPG), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Laboratory for Systems Biology, VIB, Bio-Incubator, Leuven, Belgium Leuven Institute for Beer Research, KU Leuven, Bio-Incubator, Leuven, Belgium kevin.verstrepen@biw.vib-kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Kevin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Verstrepen
mesh_terms: D001515:Beer / Q000032:analysis*; D005285:Fermentation; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D009812:Odorants / Q000032:analysis; D012440:Saccharomyces / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism