Itoero Posted March 1, 2019 Posted March 1, 2019 The yeast used by people for millennia to ferment alcoholic drinks can now produce cannabinoids – chemicals with medicinal properties as well as occasionally mind-altering characteristics in cannabis. The accomplishment, described in Nature on February 27, transforms a sugar known as galactose in brewer’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) into THC or tetrahydrocannabinol, the primary psychoactive compound in Cannabis sativa or cannabis. Moreover, the modified enzyme can yield CBD or cannabidiol, another essential cannabinoid that’s been famous lately for its possible therapeutic benefits, such as pain-relief and anti-anxiety effects. The aspirations are that this process of fermentation will empower manufacturers to produce CBD, THC, and rare cannabinoids that exist in small amounts in nature more efficiently, reliably, and cheaply than traditional plant-based cultivation. Past work detailed constructing parts of the production of cannabinoid in yeast, but not the entire process. According to Hyasynth Bio chief executive Kevin Chen, the recent study is the first to combine and show that it works within one cell. The Montreal, Canada-based Hyasynth Bio is one of about ten companies collaborating to produce cannabinoids in altered yeast, algae, or bacteria. Scientists have produced anti-malaria medicines for economic purposes, and opiates in the laboratory, using the same yeast-grown methods previously. However, the technology for producing cannabinoids is not ready for commercial production any time soon. According to AltaCorp Capital cannabis analyst David Kideckel of Toronto, Canada, it will take at most two years before synthetic cannabinoids become cheap enough to sell to the general public or pharmaceutical companies.https://thecannabisradar.com/scientists-use-hacked-beer-yeast-to-brew-cannabis/184/
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