Probiotic characteristics of the predominant yeast isolated from rice bran sourdough and application of its para-probiotics as food preservatives

Document Type : Original research

Authors
Sima Shams Shargh 1
Alireza Sadeghi 1
Maryam Ebrahimi 2
Fereshteh Keyghobadi 2
1 Department of Food Science and Technology, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran
2 Food, Drug and Natural Products Health Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
10.22059/jfabe.2026.408077.1224
Abstract
In the present study, probiotic characteristics of the predominant yeast isolated from rice bran sourdough was evaluated. Then, dead cells of the isolate were used as bio-preservative in formulation of the home-made chicken sausage. The yeast isolate was molecularly identified as Wickerhamomyces anomalus, which exhibited a high survival rate (92.78%) under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The isolate showed no hemolytic activity. The yeast’s auto-aggregation and hydrophobicity were also equal to 63.70% and 25.44%, respectively. This yeast demonstrated significant antibacterial effects against Gram-positive foodborne bacteria tested. Moreover, it showed relative resistance to antifungal compounds such as fluconazole and sensitivity to natamycin. Additionally, the yeast significantly inhibited the growth of Aspergillus flavus, reducing it by approximately 64.30%. Interestingly, dead cells of the yeast isolate significantly (p<0.05) reduced Staphylococcus aureus population compared to the control sample during a weak storage period of the home-made chicken sausage as a potent clean-label strategy. Accordingly, the yeast isolate and its dead cells can be considered a safe probiotic/para-probiotic with promising applications in the food industry.
Keywords
rice bran sourdough
probiotic yeast
antibacterial
dead cells
clean-label
Subjects
Journal of Food and Bioprocess Engineering
Volume 9, Issue 1
October 2026