Library & Innovation Centre

...the world’s first fermented beverages most likely emerged alongside the development of cereal agriculture some 12,000 years ago.

No-one is rushing into it, but the bank of research into the genetic origin and make-up of yeasts is growing. As a result the future applications for genetic modification in wine could be fast approaching.

Fermentation is a widespread pathway, but it is not the only way to get energy from fuels anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen).