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Yeasts from kefir grains: isolation, identification, and probiotic characterization

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Abstract

Kefir—a traditional beverage whose consumption has been associated with health benefits—is a logical natural product to investigate for new probiotic strains. The aim of the present work was to isolate and identify kefir yeasts and select those with acid and bile tolerance to study their adhesion to epithelial cells and their transit through mouse gut. From 4 milky and 3 sugary kefir grains, 34 yeast strains were isolated and identified by means of classical microbiological and molecular-genetic methods (whole-cell protein pattern, internal-transcribed-spacer amplification, and analysis of restriction-fragment–length polymorphisms). We identified 4 species belonging to 3 genera—Saccharomyces cerevisiae (15 strains), Saccharomyces unisporus (6 strains), Issatchenkia occidentalis (4 strains), and Kluyveromyces marxianus (9 strains)—and selected 13 strains on the basis of resistance to low pH and bile salts. Among the strains selected, Kluyveromyces marxianus CIDCA 8154 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae CIDCA 8112 were further studied. Both strains evidenced the capacity to adhere to epithelial intestine-derived cells in vitro and to survive passage through the gastrointestinal tract of BALB/c mice. The investigation of the potential probiotic features of these kefir-yeast strains should be useful for the development of novel functional foods.

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Acknowledgments

G. Diosma is researcher at the Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales of Universidad Nacional de La Plata; A. Londero, F. Rey-Burusco, and D. E. Romanin are fellows; and G. L. Garrote is a researcher of the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). This work was supported by Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT), CONICET and UNLP. Dr. Donald F. Haggerty, a retired career investigator and native English speaker, edited the final version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos (CIDCA), Calle 47 y 116, 1900, La Plata, Argentina

    Gabriela Diosma, María F. Rey-Burusco, Alejandra Londero & Graciela L. Garrote

  2. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales, UNLP, 60 y 119, La Plata, Argentina

    Gabriela Diosma

  3. Laboratorio de Investigaciones en el Sistema Inmune (LISIN), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, UNLP, 47 y 115, La Plata, Argentina

    David E. Romanin

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  1. Gabriela Diosma
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  2. David E. Romanin
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  3. María F. Rey-Burusco
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  4. Alejandra Londero
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  5. Graciela L. Garrote
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Correspondence to Graciela L. Garrote.

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Diosma, G., Romanin, D.E., Rey-Burusco, M.F. et al. Yeasts from kefir grains: isolation, identification, and probiotic characterization. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 30, 43–53 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-013-1419-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-013-1419-9

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