MF
Maribel Franco
  • Developmental Neurobiology Department, Instituto de Neurociencias-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Alicante
Research fields
  • Developmental biology
Isolation and Characterization of Live Yeast Cells from Ancient Clay Vessels
Ancient fermented food has been studied mainly based on residue analysis and recipes and reconstruction attempts were performed using modern domesticated yeast. Furthermore, microorganisms which participated in fermentation were studied using ancient-DNA techniques. In a recent paper, we presented a novel approach based on the hypothesis that enriched yeast populations in fermented beverages could have become the dominant species in storage vessels and their descendants could be isolated and studied today. Here we present a pipeline for isolation of yeast from clay vessels uncovered in archeological sites and transferred to the microbiology lab where they can be isolated and characterized. This method opens new avenues for experimental archeology and enables attempts to recreate ancient food and beverages using the original microorganisms.
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