National Institute of Biological Resources to Make Traditional Liquor Using Jirisan Sansuyu Fruit Yeast

Traditional liquor applied with two indigenous yeast strains isolated from Cornus officinalis fruits of Jirisan Mountain

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The National Institute of Biological Resources under the Ministry of Environment announced on the 15th that it has recently discovered six native yeast strains dedicated to alcoholic beverages to replace imported yeast through joint research with the National Tax Service Liquor License Support Center.

Among them, two native yeast strains isolated from the Cornus fruit of Jirisan produce natural sweetness without the addition of artificial sweeteners, and traditional liquors (yakju and takju) from Namwon City applying these two strains are scheduled to be released in the first half of this year. The National Institute of Biological Resources judged that these two strains have a fast initial fermentation rate and excellent flavor including sweetness and umami after fermentation, and filed a patent application in mid-February this year.

The National Institute of Biological Resources has been conducting research on selecting yeasts suitable for fermentation of various types of alcoholic beverages such as traditional liquor, fruit wine, and beer from March 2017 to December 2021, selecting six strains including two strains optimal for yakju fermentation, two strains for takju, one strain for distilled liquor, and one strain for beer, and succeeded in developing yakju and takju that produce sweetness without adding sugar or artificial sweeteners by using only yeast fermentation.

The National Institute of Biological Resources recently signed a business agreement with Namwon City and will provide two native yeast strains isolated from the Cornus fruit of Jirisan to breweries producing traditional liquor in the Namwon area in mid-this month. Namwon City plans to release related traditional liquors in the first half of this year by supporting the stable supply of high-quality liquid yeast through specialized companies for the development of the local liquor industry.

Jinyoung Park, head of the Biological Resources Research Department at the National Institute of Biological Resources, said, “This research is a successful collaboration case where two government agencies specializing in discovering and conserving native organisms and managing liquor quality found excellent native yeast strains and supported the development of local specialties in cooperation with local governments,” adding, “We plan to support the development of local specialty premium products for strains isolated from Jeju Island and other areas in the future.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.