Thirty–eight strains of flavor–producing wild yeasts were enriched and isolated from various fruits, i. e., cherries, pears, apples, wild grapes and akebias, and the phylogenetic affiliation was determined according to the comparative analysis of rRNA gene sequences. Combination of the enrichment culture at acidic pH in the presence of ethanol and PCR–TGGE analysis of 18 SrRNA gene V 3 region allowed the efficient isolation of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and a total of thirteen strains of
S. cerevisiae were isolated from pears and apples. Twenty five strains of flavor–producing yeasts other than
S. cerevisiae were also isolated, and these strains were affiliated with nine species including
S. bayanus,
S. paradoxus, and
Hanseniaspora uvarum. The sugar fermentation tests and/or carbon source assimilation tests indicated that almost all the strains exhibited physiological characteristics accorded with those described in The Yeast(1998). Production of isoamyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol and their esters by these strains was examined. By the principal component analysis, it was demonstrated that the trait of higher alcoholic productivity was correlated with the fruit of origin.
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