Wild Saccharomyces cerevisiae applicable to sake- brewing were enriched and isolated from cherries. Partial sequences of the small subunit rRNA gene (SSU rDNA) were PCR-amplified from enrichment cultures exhibiting flavor production and analyzed with the Temperature Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (TGGE) to examine the presence of S. cerevisiae. The TGGE analysis indicated that the amplificates from one enrichment culture contained a sequence corresponding to the sequence from reference S. cerevisiae. From this culture, five strains were isolated. A comparative analysis of the fulllength sequences of SSU rDNA indicated that the five isolates were affiliated with S. cerevisiae, a finding supported by the fermentation and assimilation test. Some isolates exhibited fermentation ability comparable to that of conventional sake yeast though they differed significantly in flavor production. Others exhibited low fermentation ability while approximating the production of flavor components to that of conventional sake yeast, Kyokai No.7.
