Comparative genomics: a revolutionary tool for wine yeast strain development

The application of Next Generation sequencing to comparative genomics is enabling in-depth characterization of genetic variation between wine yeast strains used in fermentation starter cultures. Knowledge from this work will be harnessed in strain development programs. As a result, winemakers will soon have at their disposal novel, improved yeast starter cultures displaying increased reliability and providing a means of tailoring wine sensory characteristics for new and ever-changing markets.

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► Phylogeny of Saccharomyces cerevisiae reveals industry-relevant groupings.
► Comparative genomics reveals genomic variation across industrial yeast strains.
► Next-gen sequencing in next-gen wine yeast strain development.
► Precise mapping of QTLs for marker-assisted breeding of industrial yeast.
► Discovery of putative mobile gene cluster that uses novel type of transposition.