Catching wild yeast

[MountainHighYeast]

I've started collecting wild yeast (I have no good reason) just to see what my area in the mountains can produce. I killed the first yeast I caught but the second and third are growing out well on a Agar dish now.

Has anyone tried this?

 

[ShadesManna]

When you collect wild yeast (usually used for breadmaking purposes), you are also collecting a lot of other friends. This includes, but is not limited to: pollen, dust, bacteria, and insects. When you use wild yeast in breads, all of those things are killed off while baking. As wine doesn't normally make it to those temperatures, I'm not sure I'd like all those friends in my wine.

 

[MountainHighYeast]

When you collect wild yeast (usually used for breadmaking purposes), you are also collecting a lot of other friends. This includes, but is not limited to: pollen, dust, bacteria, and insects. When you use wild yeast in breads, all of those things are killed off while baking. As wine doesn't normally make it to those temperatures, I'm not sure I'd like all those friends in my wine.

Right so after I've caught the yeast it is then drained and transferred to a sterile Agar petri dish. This is the same method for growing mushrooms and I have mastered this already.

So by allowing the yeast to grow I can isolate the most healthy and transfer only the yeast to another petri dish and repeat the process. I need to post some pictures, I'm sure there are a few nerds here who think its Interesting.

 

[bernardsmith]

But to isolate cells you need to have a good basic set of lab skills and lab equipment. You might want to share your procedures and processes. Are you, for example, using any agents in the dishes that help ensure that you are culturing the cells you want and none of the ones you don't?

 

[MountainHighYeast]

But to isolate cells you need to have a good basic set of lab skills and lab equipment. You might want to share your procedures and processes. Are you, for example, using any agents in the dishes that help ensure that you are culturing the cells you want and none of the ones you don't?

I have been a mycolgist for the last 5 years growing and studying mushrooms, which requires a sterile technique and practice. I have all the equipment already such as a laminar flow hood and white room.

I am not using any specific chemicals to isolate the yeast cells. I killed the first set of agar dishes. I suspect the yeast can't or just wont eat potato agar so I've switched to a sugar beet agar which the yeast like but it's hard to work with. Contaminants and bacteria love all the same food as mushrooms so over the years I've become pretty efficient at recognizing them under a microscope when I see them. Isolating and then transferring the yeast was easier than you'd think.