BioBeer: Resveratrol-Containing Beer

That’s the entry of some Rice University students to the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition to be held on Nov. 8-9, 2008 at the MIT:an anti-cancer brew.

They got a sample of the yeast from Houston’s Saint Arnold Brewing Company, and they are modifying it with two sets of genes. The first set allows the yeast to metabolize sugars and excrete an intermediate chemical that the second set can later convert into resveratrol.

I get the resveratrol part; this compound has repeatedly been shown to reduce risks of cardiovascular disease. What I don’t get is, why beer? Why go through all the effort of genetic engineering, when high levels of resveratrol are naturally found in red wine, grape juice and even chocolate? Anyways, it’ll be a loooong while before you see any of this in the market, if at all.