Beer in space: Researchers study microgravitys effect on fermentation

A recent study by University of Florida researchers provides insight into how beer yeast might behave when fermented in outer space.

While the concept may initially sound trivial, it has far-reaching applications, according to the study, a collaboration between researchers from the UF/IFAS food science and human nutrition department and the horticultural sciences department.

"We are absolutely going to be conducting fermentations under microgravity in the future, as we continue space exploration, and there are going to be outcomes that will be very difficult for us to predict," said study author Andrew MacIntosh, a UF/IFAS associate professor of food science.

Pedro Fernandez Mendoza led the study as an undergraduate researcher. His team took barley grown in Live Oak, Florida, and mashed it to create wort, a liquid solution of extracted grains. They divided the wort into six identical samples and initiated fermentation by combining the samples in tubes with Saccharomyces pastorianus, the species of beer yeast used for brewing lagers.

As the researchers hypothesized, microgravity did not adversely affect the number of yeast cells or their viability. Instead, the rate of fermentation increased. They attributed this result to the cells' constant suspension, a state which maximized nutrient availability by preventing settling.

Image source: Andrew MacIntosh.