The discovery of a detergent-like compound derived from yeast at UC Davis has allowed the development of environmentally friendly, nontoxic cleaning products by the company Ruby Bio.
The strain of yeast produced a compound containing “soap-like properties,” according to a university release. The compound was identified as glycolipids, which are composed of fat and sugar and work as natural cleaning agents for products like laundry detergent and dish soap. Because of this initial discovery, other related species of yeast at UC Davis were identified as producing similar compounds.
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The university is home to the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, the world’s fourth-largest public collection of yeasts.
“It's gratifying that all the hard work to maintain and publicize this collection is resulting in a product that will help people in their everyday lives and help the environment,” said Kyria Boundy-Mills, curator of the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection. “This is the result of university research; university research brings these kinds of discoveries out into the world.”
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