Question
Are there GMO yeasts for beer or wine?
Is there any GMO brewers yeast for beer or wine on the market? I have heard that all beer yeast is gmo but I do not believe that, especially because the yeast I buy states nonGMO directly on it! If there is a GMO beer or wine yeast, are there any commercial brewers that are known to use it and is it available for homebrewers? Thank you!
Submitted by: Sir Seth
Answer
Expert response from Kim Wagner
Wednesday, 15/07/2015 16:25
I only know of one commercially available yeast used in the wine industry that is a “GMO,” and the general belief is that it is not widely used. The vast majority of wine is made from strains that were “naturally” selected. There is a chance that some of the large producers have employed GMO processes to create proprietary strains, but I don’t know of any. There are commercial GMO yeast used to produce alcohol for fuel (that have been adapted to be tolerant to higher ethanol concentrations before dying in the fermentation vat).
More information is available here and here.
Answer
Expert response from Community Manager
Wednesday, 15/07/2015 16:25
I only know of one commercially available yeast used in the wine industry that is a “GMO,” and the general belief is that it is not widely used. The vast majority of wine is made from strains that were “naturally” selected. There is a chance that some of the large producers have employed GMO processes to create proprietary strains, but I don’t know of any. There are commercial GMO yeast used to produce alcohol for fuel (that have been adapted to be tolerant to higher ethanol concentrations before dying in the fermentation vat).
More information is available here and here.
One sensitive point is that unlike other countries, in the U.S., if the yeast is removed from the finished product, there doesn’t have to be any label indicating that a “GMO” organism was used during the production process.
Answer
Expert response from Kim Wagner
Wednesday, 15/07/2015 16:25
I only know of one commercially available yeast used in the wine industry that is a “GMO,” and the general belief is that it is not widely used. The vast majority of wine is made from strains that were “naturally” selected. There is a chance that some of the large producers have employed GMO processes to create proprietary strains, but I don’t know of any. There are commercial GMO yeast used to produce alcohol for fuel (that have been adapted to be tolerant to higher ethanol concentrations before dying in the fermentation vat).
More information is available here and here.
Answer
Expert response from Community Manager
Wednesday, 15/07/2015 16:25
I only know of one commercially available yeast used in the wine industry that is a “GMO,” and the general belief is that it is not widely used. The vast majority of wine is made from strains that were “naturally” selected. There is a chance that some of the large producers have employed GMO processes to create proprietary strains, but I don’t know of any. There are commercial GMO yeast used to produce alcohol for fuel (that have been adapted to be tolerant to higher ethanol concentrations before dying in the fermentation vat).
More information is available here and here.
One sensitive point is that unlike other countries, in the U.S., if the yeast is removed from the finished product, there doesn’t have to be any label indicating that a “GMO” organism was used during the production process.
Video: GMO Answers at SXSW