Development and Innovation as key drivers

Unparalleled access to a library of over3,000 unique Saccharomyces yeast strains,

Our yeast scientists use an incredible set of tools to select novel strains of brewing yeast for industrial applications. These tools vary from simple selective culturing techniques all the way to cutting-edge gene-editing technologies.

At the forefront of brewing yeast innovation, Lallemand Brewing has developed and launched:

  • The first dry bacteria product specifically for beer brewing applications
  • The first bioengineered commercial dry yeast for beer brewing applications
  • The first dry Kveik strain for commercial use
  • The first dry non-Saccharomyces species for beer brewing applications
  • The first Type III lager yeast selected by hybridization for beer brewing applications
  • The first maltose-negative Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain specifically developed using hybridization for low and non-alcohol beers

With over 6,000 microorganisms in its collection and unparalleled access to a library of over 3,000 unique Saccharomyces yeast strains, Lallemand Brewing is uniquely positioned to provide innovative fermentation solutions to the brewing industry.

Bioprospecting: yeasts are everywhere

Bioprospecting is simply the isolation of yeast strains from different environments (fruits, trees, flowers, or brewery environments). Most commercially available brewer’s yeast strains have been isolated in this way, a recent example being WildBrew Philly Sour™, which was isolated from a dogwood tree in Philadelphia (PA). Some yeast suppliers will even disclose the brewery from which the yeast strain was originally isolated, such as LalBrew Verdant IPA™ (Verdant Brewing Company, UK), or LalBrew Voss™ (Sigmund Gjernes, Norway). This method is simple and requires minimal lab equipment. Some drawbacks are that most strains will not produce good beer, so many strains need to be screened.

Strain Improvement: whole-organism selection for optimal performance

By using non-GMO methods such as adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) and selective breeding, yeast strains can be selected with improved performance for specific applications.

ALE involves continuously culturing a yeast strain in a highly selective environment for hundreds (even thousands) of generations, allowing the yeast cells to amass genetic changes throughout its genome and slowly adapt to the stressful environment. With the right selective conditions, specific characteristics can be enhanced (or reduced) in any yeast strain.

Selective breeding involves the physical fusion of two cells of opposite mating type to produce a hybrid cell that contains genes from each of the parental strains. This is similar to hop growers breeding different hop varieties to produce novel hops with unique flavors. Yeast geneticists can cross breed yeast to produce novel strains with desirable traits for brewing. LalBrew Farmhouse™, LalBrew NovaLager™, and LalBrew® LoNa™ are commercially available strains that were developed using selective breeding.

Gene-editing technology: innovation to its maximum potential

Gene-editing technology (GE) involves the manipulation of DNA (genes) outside of the cell and then introducing this DNA into a yeast. The edited genes may be from the same species of brewer’s yeast or from completely unrelated species. The power of GE is that the possibilities for improving a strain or giving a strain new traits are almost endless. Using GE, scientists have been able to create brewer’s yeast that can produce lactic acid during primary fermentation (Mascoma Sourvisiae®) by introducing genes from lactic acid bacteria into brewer’s yeast, thereby removing the need to use bacteria for producing sour beers.

By investing in research and product innovation, Lallemand is using bioprospecting, whole-organism strain selection, and gene-targeted strain engineering to select novel yeast strains that provide solutions for the modern brewer to continue crafting unique, high-quality beers.

Global Partnerships and Sponsorships:

Lallemand R&D enjoys strong relationships with leading brewing universities and institutes such as TU München/Weihenstephan, Doemens, VLB Berlin, KU Leuven, Univ. Leuvain, Herriott Watt Univ., Nottingham Univ., VTT Finland, UScience Philadelphia, Oregon State University, UC Davis, Univ. Florida, IPATEC, and Univ. Federal of Minas Gerais. 

Key partnerships have led to products such as Servomyces™, WildBrew Philly Sour®, LalBrew Munich Classic™, and more.

These academic partnerships have also given us the opportunity to sponsor graduate-level projects for Master’s and Ph.D. programs, paving the way for improved processes, products, and research opportunities; and have led to the development of new processes and products – ranging from fermentation aides to novel Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains.