Identification of sugar-tolerant yeasts isolated from high-sugar fermented vegetable extracts

In Japan, high-sugar fermented vegetable extracts are novel functional food products for which sugar-tolerant yeasts are employed during processing. In order to understand the yeast distribution in these foods and their role in the functionality of such foods, we isolated sugar-tolerant yeasts from nine sample products, together with one sample each of fermented extract of ume (Japanese apricot) and honey. Twenty-three strains were identified as Zygosaccharomyces rouxii; one strain as Z. bailii; one strain as Torulaspora delbrueckii; and one strain as Candida bombicola. Nearly 90% of the identified strains belonged to Z. rouxii with variations in fermentation and assimilation properties. All strains grew well on 50% w/w glucose medium, and all but two strains grew on 60% w/w glucose medium. Sixteen strains belonged to the strong sugar tolerance type (poor or no growth at 1% and maximum growth at 30 or 40% w/w glucose); four strains to the moderate type (grew well at 1% and maximum growth at 10 or 20% w/w glucose); and seven strains to the weak type (maximum growth only at 1% w/w glucose). One strain of Z. rouxii, V19, grew up to 80% (w/w) glucose in liquid medium. In view of salt tolerance, only two strains belonged to the moderate type (maximum growth at 0.5 or 1 M NaCl); the remaining strains all belonged to the weak type (maximum growth only at 0 M NaCl). This suggests that sugar tolerance and salt tolerance of yeasts have different aspects.