Work

Next-generation brewing yeasts for non-alcoholic beers

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: Non‑alcoholic beers (NABs) are a rapidly expanding market. However, producing high‑quality products remains challenging because ethanol strongly shapes beer flavor and mouthfeel. Biological production methods, which restrict alcohol formation during fermentation, offer advantages over physical methods, which remove alcohol after fermentation. However, they are limited by the performance and diversity of available yeasts. Recent advances in bioprospecting, breeding, hybridization, adaptive evolution, and genetic engineering reveal how different yeast lineages and trait-development strategies can balance reduced ethanol production with desirable aromatic complexity. Yeasts with naturally limited sugar utilization and favorable aroma‑forming capacities are emerging as promising foundations for next‑generation NAB production. Progress in this field will depend on integrating biological strategies with standardized phenotyping, deeper exploration of natural diversity, and emerging computational tools for predicting flavor and guiding targeted strain improvement. Together, these developments outline a path toward rational, data‑driven design of superior yeasts tailored for NAB production.

Source: Current Opinion in Biotechnology

DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2026.103525

Authors: Irene Cibin, Stijn Spaepen, Jan Steensels, Kevin J. Verstrepen

Institutions: Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, KU Leuven

Language: English

Topic: Fermentation and Sensory Analysis

Subfield: Food Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,530

Funders: Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen, KU Leuven