Emil Christian Hansen in the lab by Frederik Riise

Emil Christian Hansen (8 May 1842 – 27 August 1909) was a Danish

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

and fermentation physiologist.

Early life and education

Hansen was born in

Ribe Ribe () is a town in south-west Jutland, Denmark, with a population of 8,367 (2025). It is the seat of the Diocese of Ribe. Until 1 January 2007, Ribe was the seat of both a surrounding municipality and county. It is now part of the enlarged E ...

to Joseph Christian Hansen, a house-painter, and his wife Ane Catherina Dyhre. Between 1874 and 1875 he edited and distributed an mycological

exsiccata Exsiccata (Latin, ''gen.'' -ae, ''plur.'' -ae) is a work with "published, uniform, numbered set of preserved specimens distributed with printed labels". Typically, exsiccatae are numbered collections of dried herbarium Biological specimen, spe ...

work, namely ''Fungorum fimicolorum exempl. exsiccati'', with 350 numbered specimen units. He was awarded a gold medal in 1876 for an essay on

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

, titled ''De danske Gjødningssvampe''. During his days as a university student in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, he worked as an unpaid assistant to

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

Japetus Steenstrup (1813–1897).

Career

In 1876, with Alfred Jørgensen (1848–1925), he published a Danish translation of

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

’s " The Voyage of the Beagle"; ''Rejse om Jorden''. From 1879 to 1909, he was director of the physiological department at Carlsberg Laboratory. Hired by the Carlsberg Laboratory in

in 1879, he became the first to isolate a pure cell of yeast in 1883, and after combining it with a

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

y solution, produced more yeast than was in a yeast bank. It was named as '' Saccharomyces carlsbergensis'' after the laboratory, and is the yeast from which are derived, all yeasts used in lager beers. See

Fermentation Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are catabolized and reduce ...

Yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...

. Hansen is the taxonomic authority of the fungal genus ''Anixiopsis'' (1897) from the family

Onygenaceae The Onygenaceae are a family of fungi in the Ascomycota Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the ...

. He was honoured in 1911, when botanist H. Zikes published '' Hanseniaspora'', which is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

yeasts Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitu ...

Publications by Hansen that have been translated into English

Practical studies in fermentation: being contributions to the life history of micro-organisms, 1896.
* Considerations on Technical Mycology, 1905.WorldCat Search
(publications)

Literature

* Claussen, Niels Hjelte ''Emil Christian Hansen'', pp. 161–164 in: Meisen, V. Prominent Danish Scientists through the Ages. University Library of Copenhagen 450th Anniversary. Levin & Munksgaard, Copenhagen (1932)
Beer in Health and Disease Prevention
edited by Victor R. Preedy

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Emil Christian Danish physiologists Danish mycologists Danish microbiologists 1842 births 1909 deaths Carlsberg Laboratory staff People from Ribe