Article
Zing Technology
Zing brings bright lactic acidity without the addition of bacteria. This creates a single-strain solution that can help you create tartness during fermentation with less hassle.
Our latest addition to our toolkit enables a yeast strain to produce lactic acid during fermentation. Zing creates acidity proportional to starting gravity and allows the parent strain’s character to shine with a refreshing tartness.
Zing led us to the creation of our newest strain addition to the NEXT series – Tartango.
Why would I choose a yeast with Zing technology instead of kettle souring?
Think of yeast with Zing technology as an alternative path rather than a replacement for kettle souring. Zing technology allows brewers the flexibility to create acidity during fermentation on a short timeline, rather than tying up the brewhouse waiting for wort to acidify. Zing technology also eliminates the need to keep wort at elevated temperatures where Lacto typically performs well. It creates acidity in the yeast’s normal fermentation temperature range.
How can I control the level of acidity using yeast with Zing technology?
Wort sugar is the source. Think of your beer’s original gravity as one indicator for potential acid production as you would its potential for alcohol production. In our early trials with yeast enhanced with Zing technology, there was a clear correlation between original gravity and level of acidity. The higher the gravity, the more acid produced. For example, a 12°P wort ended up with ~10 g/L in titratable acidity from lactic acid. Expect approximately 1 g/L +/- for every 1°P change in OG, but this may vary depending on the wort’s overall fermentability.
How can brewer’s yeast create its own lactic acid?
In most cases, it can’t. Brewer’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) doesn’t have a natural pathway to produce its own lactic acid. Lactic acid is produced in the presence of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which is usually found in Lactobacillus and other lactic acid-producing bacteria.
We created Zing Technology by adding the LDH-producing gene from our Lacto blend to our Voss Kveik strain, which allows the yeast to create lactic acid and ethanol simultaneously without phenolic off-flavors or co-pitching.
The fermentation path to lactic acid and ethanol starts off the same. Simple sugars (glucose and fructose) are converted into pyruvate through a reaction called glycolysis. Then the LDH enzyme converts a portion of the pyruvate into lactic acid. The rest of the pyruvate is converted into ethanol via the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), just like what happens with yeast that doesn’t contain the LDH enzyme.
Can I repitch yeast with Zing technology?
Depending on the beer’s overall acidity, yeast enhanced with Zing may be more viable candidates for repitching compared with regular yeast that’s been stressed by the acidity produced by kettle-soured wort. If you’re looking to repitch, harvest and reuse it promptly to minimize stress from the acidity produced during fermentation. If you have questions about viability, drop us a line.
Other Benefits + Technical Tips
- Desired acidity can be achieved without blending yeast strains.
- Clean and fast fermentation, just like other Kveik strains.
- Adding fruit during fermentation boosts the acidity level.
What strains have Zing technology?
FROM TOP CROP
Learn more about souring on our education website.