The life and times of yeasts in traditional food fermentations

Yeasts are eukaryotic microorganisms which have a long history in the biotechnology of food production,as they have been used since centuries in bread-making or in the production of alcoholicbeverages such as wines or beers. Relative to this importance, a lot of research has been devotedto the study of yeasts involved in making these important products. The role of yeasts in otherfermentations in association with other microorganisms - mainly lactic acid bacteria - has beenrelatively less studied, and often it is not clear if yeasts occurring in such fermentations are contaminantswith no role in the fermentation, spoilage microorganisms or whether they actuallyserve a technological or functional purpose. Some knowledge is available for yeasts used as startercultures in fermented raw sausages or in the production of acid curd cheeses. This review aimedto summarize the current knowledge on the taxonomy, the presence and potential functional ortechnological roles of yeasts in traditional fermented plant, dairy, fish and meat fermentations.