Brewing Social Networks: the Sociomicrobiology of Brewing Yeast

Quorum sensing is like a social networking tool for microorganisms—a way for them to "talk" to each other and coordinate social behaviors based on how crowded their environment is. This regulatory mechanism has caught the attention of researchers and the food and beverage industry as a potential game-changer for controlling microbial activity, ensuring consistent quality, and influencing the attributes of fermented food products. While quorum sensing has already been examined in various fermented foods like vegetables, sourdough, and dairy, its influence on industrially relevant yeast used for beer production remains largely unexplored. In this seminar, we’ll dive into our research on how common fungal quorum-sensing molecules affect key industry strains, including the top-fermenting yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the spoilage yeast Dekkera. Join us as we uncover how these microbial conversations might impact the future of brewing!

Microsoft Teams meeting
Meeting ID: 353 441 850 080
Passcode: xoUreb