On April 19, SPC Group, the largest confectionery and bakery company in South Korea, said that it has isolated an indigenous yeast strain from the 'nuruk' starter culture and successfully commercialized it for bread making.
SPC Group and a Seoul National University (SNU) research team have found the indigenous yeast strain suitable for bread making after 11 arduous years of analyzing nearly 10,000 indigenous microorganisms.
The indigenous yeast strain, named SPC-SNU 70-1, produces less unpleasant smells during fermentation and light clean flavors, which save the flavors of other ingredients, and can be used in making chewy glutinous bread. In addition, its fermentability is good enough for bread making and it can slow down the aging of bread.
SPC Group chairman Huh Young-in is credited with such a feat. Chairman Huh has lent full support to the research team over the past 11 years because he believed that continued research on yeasts, the key to bread making, would help SPC Group stay competitive in the global market.
In September last year, SPC Group applied for domestic and international patents on SPC-SNU 70-1 and is seeking protection for the invention in countries including France the US, China and Japan.
