Research on yeast oil being done at UC Davis was mentioned in a May 15, 2024 article in Bon Appetit magazine about microbial cooking oils. Phaff Yeast Culture Collection curator Dr. Kyria Boundy-Mills was quoted several times in this article about the future of cooking oils made by fermentation of microbes, including yeasts. The article discusses the favorable properties of several commercially available microbial cooking oils, the improved carbon footprint relative to vegetable oils, and discusses challenges, especially the costs of production.

The Phaff Yeast Culture Collection and ten other biological collections at UC Davis are putting on our annual, FREE, public event called Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday February 10, 2024. The yeast event will be open from 10AM to 2PM in the Brewery, Winery and Food Processing facility.

The Phaff Yeast Culture Collection was highlighted in a recent blog piece by Andy Fell of UC Davis News and Media Relations. A recent publication by Phaff collection curator Kyria Boundy-Mills and collaborators demonstrated that yeasts can consume most (but not all) sugars in degraded almond hulls and increase the protein content, for potential use in animal feed.

A popular species of yeast that’s used to make beer, bread and wine is also contributing to the food industry in a different way – improving food safety. A yeast strain from the UC Davis Phaff Yeast Culture Collection is being used commercially to remove a toxic compound from fried and baked foods.

The Phaff Yeast Culture Collection is participating in the 11th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day on Saturday February 18, 2023. The yeast displays and activities will be open from 10AM to 2 PM at the Robert Mondavi Institute Brewery, Winery and Food Processing facility. Come explore the exhibits about yeast, hear about the latest discoveries from the Phaff collection, and tour the teaching winery and brewery.

GREAT NEWS: The National Science Foundation is funding the transfer of a collection of 6,000 yeast strains from the University of Western Ontario to UC Davis! This will ensure preservation of this endangered yeast collection, expand the range of yeast species and strains in the Phaff collection catalog, and will make these yeasts and decades of characterization data available to the scientific community for the first time.