Exploitation of Yeasts with Probiotic Traits for Kefir Production: Effectiveness of the Microbial Consortium

Kefir is a fermented milk made by beneficial lactic acid bacteria and yeasts inoculated as grains or free cultures. In this work, five yeast strains with probiotic aptitudes belonging to Candida zeylanoides, Yarrowia lipolytica, Kluyveromyces lactis, and Debaryomyces hansenii species were assessed in a defined consortium, in co-culture with a commercial strain of Lactobacillus casei, in order to evaluate the yeasts’ fermentation performance during kefir production, using different milks. The concentration of each yeast was modulated to obtain a stable consortium that was not negatively affected by the bacteria. Furthermore, all yeasts remained viable for five weeks at 4 °C, reaching about 8.00 Log CFU in 150 mL of kefir, a volume corresponding to a pot of a commercial product. The yeasts consortium showed a suitable fermentation performance in all milks, conferring peculiar and distinctive analytical and aromatic properties to the kefirs, confirmed by a pleasant taste. Overall, the panel test revealed that the cow’s and sheep’s kefir were more appreciated than the others; this evaluation was supported by a distinctive fermentation by-products’ content that positively influences the final aroma, conferring to the kefir exalted taste and complexity. These results allow us to propose the yeasts consortium as a versatile and promising multistarter candidate able to affect industrial kefir with both recognizable organoleptic properties and probiotic aptitudes.

Physiological characterisation of Calabrian dairy yeasts and their possible use as adjunct cultures for cheese making

Seventeen samples of Calabrian ewe’s milk, ewe’s cheese (Pecorino del Poro) made with raw milk, goat’s milk, and goat’s cheese (Caprino d’Aspromonte) made with raw milk were used to obtain 124 yeast isolates. The most abundant species was Debaryomyces hansenii (61.3%), followed by Candida zeylanoides (32.3%) and Kluyveromyces marxianus (3.2%). The enzymatic profile of 25 selected yeast strains was determined. Lastly, they were studied for their interaction with eight dairy lactic acid bacteria – four coccal-shaped and four rod-shaped. The best strains may be used as adjunct cultures for cheese making.

Salt concentration effect on yeast diversity of the Ivorian traditional fermented fish adjuevan

This study aimed to investigate the yeast diversity in adjuevan fermented at the laboratory scale according to salt concentration following both traditional fermentation methods. Thus, the fish species Galeoides decadactylus was fermented with salt added at 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 25 % and 30 % (w/w) for five days. Yeast identification using PCR-DDGE method reveled seven species which were Pichia fermentans, Candida zeylanoides, Candida sp, Hanseniaspora osmophila, Kluyveromyces sp; Torulaspora delbrueckii and Kluyveromyces marxianus. These species varied according to fermentation method used and salt concentration added with Pichia fermentans and Hanseniaspora osmophila as dominant strains. These results showed also that Kluyveromyces marxianus and Torulaspora delbrueckii were more tolerant to sodium chloride than the others. This work confirmed that yeasts were involved and participated in adjuevan production. Therefore, these yeasts should be tested for their functionality during the fermentation, and some might be useful as starter culture to produce better quality fermented fish adjuevan.

Functional Microbiota for Polypeptide Degradation during Hypertonic Moromi-Fermentation of Pixian Broad Bean Paste

Traditional fermented bean pastes are indispensable seasonings in many East Asian countries. They are produced via hypertonic solutions by spontaneous fermentation. Functional, unknown microbiota carry great risks for food safety and stable quality. Thus, analysis and subsequent utilization of functional microbiota will be a good strategy to resolve these problems. During bean fermentation, the microbial functions were divided into two stages, including first stage-raw material (polypeptide) degradation and second stage-amino acid catabolism. In this study, we aimed to analyze the functional microbiota of first stage. Omics-studies, including high-throughput sequencing, correlation analysis and extracellular proteome, were used to generate candidate functional microbes for polypeptide degradation in this study. Then, we cultured the candidate functional microbes. After the batch fermentation and enzymatic analysis, we found three strains secreted peptidase and resulted amino acid accumulation, involving Aspergillus niger, Candida zeylanoides and Bacillus licheniformis. Thus, A. niger, C. zeylanoides and B. licheniformis conducted the functional microbiota for polypeptide degrading during hypertonic moromi fermentation. This study supplies a strategy for functional microbiota analysis. In addition, this is the first report that C. zeylanoides can secrete proteome and produce amino acids from polypeptide.

Investigating the Inhibitory Effect of Silver Nanoparticles against Some Species of Candida and Pathogenic Bacteria

Silver nanoparticles synthesized from aqueous extract of mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus exhibited inhibitory effect at the concentration of 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mg/ml against some pathogenic bacteria and fungi such as Candida albicans, Candida guilliermondii, Candida krusei, Candida zeylanoides, Geotrichum klebahnii, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. The maximum inhibition zone was observed against C. zeylanoides at the concentration of 100 mg/ml was 24.5 mm, while the minimum inhibition zone was observed against Geotrichum at the concentration of 25 mg/ml was 8 mm and the concentration of 12.5 mg/ml was not effective against some species.

Biodiesel-Derived Glycerol Obtained from Renewable Biomass—A Suitable Substrate for the Growth of Candida zeylanoides Yeast Strain ATCC 20367

Used kitchen oil represents a feasible and renewable biomass to produce green biofuels such as biodiesel. Biodiesel production generates large amounts of by-products such as the crude glycerol fraction, which can be further used biotechnologically as a valuable nutrient for many microorganisms. In this study, we transesterified used kitchen oil with methanol and sodium hydroxide in order to obtain biodiesel and crude glycerol fractions. The crude glycerol fraction consisting of 30% glycerol was integrated into a bioreactor cultivation process as a nutrient source for the growth of Candida zeylanoides ATCC 20367. Cell viability and biomass production were similar to those obtained with batch cultivations on pure glycerol or glucose as the main nutrient substrates. However, the biosynthesis of organic acids (e.g., citric and succinic) was significantly different compared to pure glycerol and glucose used as main carbon sources.