Wine yeast genomes lack diversity
Thursday, April 7, 2016 - 12:32
in Biology & Nature
Sequencing the genomes of hundreds of strains of the wine yeast S. cerevisiae has revealed little genetic diversity and high levels of inbreeding. In many cases, yeast strains sold by different companies were almost genetically identical. These results suggest that winemakers attempting to develop improved wine yeasts will need to look to creating hybrids with more exotic strains.