Scientist in Spain and Australia say they have identified the yeast gene which helps produce the proteins needed to create beer foam — which creates the head on beer when it is poured and sometimes leaves lace on the side of a glass.
“This novel protein is responsible for beer foam stabilization,” the researchers wrote in a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. “This report represents the first time that a brewing yeast foaming gene has been cloned and its action fully characterized. . . Foam quality is an important organoleptic property of beer that directly correlates to consumer appeal.”
The gene is called CFG1, which stands for Carlsbergensis foaming gene, said scientists from the University of Santiago de Compostela and University of Burgos, both in Spain, and the University of Sydney in Australia.
Similar fermentation genes have been discovered for wine and sake.