Abstract
Hundreds of strains of methanol-assimilating yeasts were isolated in pure culture from a wide variety of natural sources through investigations on industrial cell production and the metabolism of methanol. Seven of these strains showed heavy growth on a methanol medium. Taxonomic studies on these strongly methanol-assimilating yeasts indicated that five strains were the same species and belonged to a new species, Pichia methanolica, one strain Pichia pastoris, and another Candida boidinii.