Identification of yeast mutants by RFLP analysis of Ty elements

Applications

Brewing yeast cultures can change over time due to genetic drift, leading to the accumulation of mutants. These changes typically have a negative influence on fermentation performance and can lead to altered flavor profiles, inappropriate flocculation and fermentation inconsistencies. This service analyses yeast cultures for the presence of mutants. This is an especially important tool for monitoring production yeast cultures for genetic drift, checking yeast samples for the presence of mutants, optimizing serial repitching and associated yeast handling processes.

Technology

Mutations can be detected by analyzing cultures using RFLP of yeast transposons (Ty elements). Ty elements are regions of the genome which are known to be highly susceptible to movement and this can indicate more widespread changes throughout the DNA. Here we use a molecular probe to produce a fingerprint of yeast DNA according to the size and location of Ty elements. Fingerprints can be seen to vary compared to the original strain when a mutant yeast is present.