Hungarian company produces cannabinoids from yeast

Intrexon Corporation, a Hungarian biotechnology giant, announced yesterday in a press release that it had made significant progress on a project to produce cannabinoids made from yeast. Yeasts are microorganisms—single-celled fungi capable of causing the fermentation of organic or plant matter (as is the case with beer)

This isn't the first time that alternatives to the cannabis plant for obtaining cannabinoids have been found. An American company had already succeeded in extracting CBD from hops. It is highly likely that intensive research in this field—particularly in laboratories—will uncover even more sources or methods for obtaining cannabinoids in quantities sufficient for use in the production of medications.

A Potential Revolution in Medical Cannabis

If the project is successful, it could revolutionize medical cannabis. It would enable significant economies of scale and secure the supply chain by ensuring that product quality and quantity are no longer unpredictable. It would also be possible to eliminate the need for intensive production facilities thanks to a process carried out entirely in the laboratory.

Through its subsidiary Intrexon’s proprietary technologies, the company began producing a strain of yeast that would enable the production of cannabinoids through fermentation. This strain was designed to create cannabinoids that are not found in high concentrations in cannabis, or even new cannabinoids that do not exist in the plant—in other words, completely synthetic ones.

The company seems confident: «Microbial fermentation methods for producing cannabinoids offer significant advantages over traditional extraction from the plant.» explains Executive Director Chris Savile. «Thanks to our capabilities and experience, we expect to optimize certain varieties to produce specific cannabinoids that could potentially be brought to market in the coming years.».