Isolation and Identification of Yeasts from Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Fruit and Cassava (Manihot esculenta) Tuber

Abstract

Different species of yeast inhabit various plant types and parts owing to variations in their nutrient needs. Thus, an effort to identify ideal yeast species for a given industrial process would require a certain level of research input directed toward their habitats. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and isolate yeast cells from the fruit and tuber of tomato and cassava respectively. Yeasts were isolated from the extract of cassava and tomato tuber and fruit respectively. Morphological, biochemical and microscopic assessments were determined using standard procedures. Results obtained from this study showed Saccharomyces constituted (66.7%) of the microbial populations, while Candida constituted (33%) of the sample. In conclusion, it can be deduced from this study that tomatoes can be relied upon as a dependable source of Saccharomyces for certain industrial processes such as the production of brewery products.