Use of molecular methods for the identification of yeast species isolated from fermentations of table olives produced traditionally in Kahramanmaraş

In this study, yeast species involved in the naturally fermented green table olive produced in Southern Turkey were investigated. Table olive samples were prepared with regional olive cultivars and traditional methods were employed in the production. Yeasts were isolated from the brines of the samples at the late fermentation stage and identified at the species level by the DNA sequences of the D1/D2 domain of 26S rRNA genes. The D1/D2 domains were amplified by PCR, sequenced and compared to reference sequences deposited in the NCBI database. According to the results, isolated yeasts belonged to the Candida, Debaryomyces, and Rhodotorula genera and salt tolerant species were dominant as the salt content of the brines exceeded 11%. Among the determined species, Candida oleophila was the most dominant one and it was thought that isolated strains of Candida oleophila may be taken into consideration to be used as starter culture in table olive production.