Renaissance BioScience Corp.--with its wholly owned subsidiary Renaissance Ingredients Inc.--is pleased to announce the filing of a provisional application to the US Patent and Trademark Office for the patent of its non-GMO acrylamide-reducing (AR) baker’s yeast. The application protects the company’s work over the last 2 years in developing baker’s yeast strains (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) that naturally reduce acrylamide by up to 95 percent in a variety of food products by degrading the precursor compound asparagine.

“Our AR yeast is an important step towards solving the global health concerns posed by dietary acrylamide,” says Renaissance Ingredients president Matthew Dahabieh. “Our testing, both in-house and with commercial partners, demonstrates that AR yeast reduces acrylamide by up to 95 percent in a variety of foods.”

AR yeast applications: baked goods, potato products, snack foods, and coffee
Renaissance Ingredients’ AR yeast strains are traditional baker’s yeast with an accelerated natural ability to consume asparagine, thereby reducing acrylamide. In baked goods where yeast has always been used as an ingredient, AR yeast can seamlessly replace conventional baker’s yeast with no disruption to the baking process. Importantly, AR yeast also can be used in foods in which yeast is not normally an ingredient. Renaissance Ingredients has conducted numerous successful studies on the feasibility of using AR yeast in novel ways for foods containing yeast extract, chemically leavened foods, or foods exposed to soaking steps during processing. These foods include potato-based products such as potato chips and French fries, savory snack foods, cereal products, and coffee.

“Our in-house studies highlight the versatility and efficacy of our AR yeast in reducing acrylamide not only in baked goods and toast, but also in potato products, snack foods, cereal products, and coffee. We are now looking to demonstrate this efficacy in pilot-scale trials by working closely with interested industry partners,” adds Dahabieh.