Evaluation of the effect of different drying methods and Protective agents on the viability of Wickerhamomyces anomalus yeast

Subject Areas : Mycology

Somayeh Rahaiee ^{1 *} , marzieh ghapanchipour ² , Mohammad Hadi Eskandari ³ , mojtaba Ranjbar ⁴

1 - Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology, Amol
2 - Amol university of special modern technologies
3 - دانشگاه شیراز
4 - Amol university of special modern technologies

Received: 2025-07-06 Accepted : 2025-08-29 Published : 2025-09-11

Keywords: Microbial starter cultures, Drying, Protective agents, Viability of cells, Wickerhamomyces anomalus.,

Abstract :

Background & Objectives: Today, much attention has been paid to the study of application of non-Saccharomyces yeasts, mainly in fermented foods and beverages so that to ensure a suitable storage method to preserve the characteristics and fermentation capabilities of yeasts over long periods of time. The aim of this research is to compare the three methods of freeze drying, spray drying, and vacuum drying, using protective agents’ maltodextrin and whey protein concentrate, to preserve Wickerhamomyces anomalus yeast.

Materials and methods: In this research, yeast was cultured and maltodextrin and whey protein concentrate were added at a rate of 5% w/v to the culture medium and different drying methods were used. Then, the damage to yeast and its survival rate during the storage period were evaluated using scanning electron microscope images, counting the number of colonies during process, and staining cells with methylene blue and rhodamine B.

Results: The results showed that the survival rate of freeze-dried yeast with a pre-freezing temperature of  -20 °C was higher than with the spray-drying and vacuum-drying methods. The storage period was significantly effective on the survival rate of yeast, so that vacuum drying lead to a higher survival rate of yeast at 0.85 ± 0.02 × 10⁸ CFU/mL during the 60-day storage period. Also, the scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that the vacuum-dried yeast samples have a smoother surface and less structural damage, despite the presence of sharp edges. 

Conclusion: The findings showed that both freeze-drying and vacuum-drying methods have good potential for increasing the widespread use of W.anomalus  yeast.

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