Scientists bake bread with yeast from 5,300-year-old mummy Scientists have successfully baked sourdough bread using yeast revived from a 5,300-year-old mummy, known as Otzi the Iceman. These cold-resistant yeast strains were discovered on the mummy’s skin, in its digestive tract, and in meltwater, and have shown promising results in dough fermentation. The discovery could offer advantages for the modern food industry, potentially enabling fermentation at refrigerator temperatures and saving energy.

• Researchers revived yeast from a 5,300-year-old mummy, Otzi the Iceman.
• The yeast was found on the mummy’s skin, in its digestive tract, and in meltwater.
• Initial experiments successfully produced sourdough dough using the ancient yeast.
• The yeast strains are cold-resistant, adapted to the mummy’s preservation environment of approximately -6°C (21.2°F).
• This discovery could lead to energy savings in the food industry through low-temperature fermentation.
• Potential applications include bread making and beer production.