Researchers have found origin of cold-adapted yeast, Saccharomyces eubayanus, which was discovered in 2011 in the 500-year-old caves in South America. The yeast, used to make cold lager beer, followed its way to the caves and monastery cellars of Bavaria where the lager beer was first concocted about hundreds of years back.

On analyzing the yeast, researchers declared that it belonged to one of two highly diverse Patagonian populations, said Chris Hittinger, a Prof. of genetics at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Yeasts are indeed a native of Patagonia; a region located at the southern end of South America and is shared by Argentina and Chile. David Peris, genetics graduate student, said yeasts are known for causing fermentation.

“The value of studying diversity is that you can pull out genes or strains that can be used for a particular industrial process”, said David. Hittinger said that mixing and matching of genes with help of modern biotechnology tools could help to potentially refine industrial fermentation. This would further cause better conversion of sugar to alcohol.

Scientists believe that exploring of native habitat would help them reveal secrets of yeast genetics and hybridization. They said that it could also help in generating enormous economic benefits.