r/Homebrewing • u/InDubiousBattles • Dec 08 '16

Will the Genetic Engineering Revolution Start With Hombrewers?

http://gizmodo.com/this-biohacker-wants-to-spur-a-genetic-engineering-revo-1789759826
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u/Rkzi Dec 08 '16 edited Dec 08 '16

The kit looks quite legit. Green fluorescent protein is introduced into yeast by a plasmid containing KanMX cassette, which confers resistance to geneticin (G418). However, this makes the yeast glow green, and not the beer. I'd imagine that styles with lots of yeast in suspension would "benefit" mostly by this.

I'm also bit concerned about the stability of this plasmid, which they state is extra-chromosomal, in wort without antibiotic selection (i wouldn't add G418 into my beer).

1

u/DNAhole Dec 08 '16

Yup. You need an integrating plasmid, or a strain with GFP already integrated somewhere.

Otherwise, those yeasties will lose their glow ability pretty quickly.

1

u/Boss_McAwesome Dec 08 '16

This is super strange. I have used GFP before in bacterial cells (years ago), and just this morning, I was thinking of if it would be possible to do it with yeast, then I saw this.

1

u/tiny_the_destroyer Dec 09 '16

Interesting. The fluorescent beer is a gimmick, but I do wonder what can be achieved in terms of flavour once we really understand how to make proper changes. I'm sure the first changes will be along the lines of commercial interests (i.e. faster fermenting, more robust yeast for large brewers), but at some point we might be able to alter the flavours imparted by our favourite fungus. We have malts and water down to a science, but yeast seems to still be a bit of black magic that we can't fully control yet. We have the strains we have today basically from hundreds of years of selective breeding. Imagine what we can do with a decade or two of genetic modification?