Isolation and Characterization of Potential Starter Yeasts from Traditional Moroccan Sourdoughs

The increasing demand for baked products has given a boost to research on isolation and selection of novel yeast strains with improved leavening activity. Twelve sourdough samples were collected from several localities of the Fez region in Morocco. The pH and total titratable acidity (TTA) values of these samples varied from 3.03-4.63 and 14-17.5 ml of 0.1 N NaOH/10 g of sourdough, respectively, while yeast counts ranged from 5.3 6.77 Log CFU/g. Thirty-two yeast isolates were obtained and evaluated for their leavening ability. Out of all isolates, four yeasts molecularly identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae (three strains) and Kluyveromyces marxianus (one strain) showed highest specific volumes of 4.69, 4.55, 4.35 and 4.1 cm/g, respectively. These strains were further assessed for their tolerance to high concentrations of salt, sugar, elevated temperatures, and low pH conditions. K. marxianus showed higher resistance than the S. cerevisiae. Thus, Moroccan sourdoughs harbor technologically relevant yeasts that could be used as potential starters for bread preparation.