Abstract

Yeasts are very important in food production by affecting the quality and safety of different food products. Yeasts are commonly used in the production of beer, wine and bread; but many yeast species have been isolated from different African fermented foods. The present study aims to determine the biodiversity of yeasts isolated from selected Nigerian fermented foods. A combination of phenotypic and molecular tests were employed in the identification of yeasts. A total of 145 yeasts were isolated from six different food products. The yeasts belong to six genera namely Saccharomyces, Candida, Cyberlindnera, Meyerozyma, Trichosporon and Galactomyces. The most frequently encounter was Saccharomyces cerevisiae followed by Candida glabrata. The present study has confirmed the biodiversity of yeasts isolated from fermented food of Nigerian origin.

Key words: Phenotypic characterization, molecular, indigenous yeasts, Nigeria.