Yeast Research

The course

Delivery
Full-time
Course type
Research
Location
Edinburgh
Entry date
September

Contact

Overview

Yeast physiology with a distinct molecular biological basis is a major research area within Life Sciences and the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD). Many projects relate to the behaviour of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in brewery and distillery fermentations and include the genetics and biochemistry of sugar uptake in yeast, the regulation of ester production during fermentation, the effect of metal ions on yeast fermentation performance, the uptake and metabolism of sulphate, the stress effects of high gravity brewing, and the influence of acid washing on yeast quality.

Research

Research projects

The ICBD was a partner in a collaborative project to develop the first genetically modified brewing yeast approved for production use in the UK. Researchers are also using yeast to detect mutagenic chemicals in food. Factors that influence beer and spirit instability and flavour are also being studied.

In addition to the applied research on yeast, the group also studies yeast, as a model eukaryote, to answer fundamental biological questions. For example, the response of organisms to environmental stress, the ageing process and enzyme structure/function relationships, in particular an enzyme which produces an essential substrate for nucleotide and amino acid metabolism.

Entry requirements

Contact the School to discuss

Fees

Fees for this course can be found on the tuition fees page.

Scholarships and bursaries

We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.

View our full range of research scholarships.