Isolation and identification of epiphytic Pichia kudriavzevii from loquat peels and investigation of its fermentation characteristics for liquor production

During the process of fruit wine production, yeast plays a crucial role in influencing the taste, flavor, and overall quality of the wine. This study aims to enhance the flavor and quality of loquat wine by isolating strains of Pichia kudriavzevii (P. kudriavzevii) with desirable winemaking characteristics from loquat fruit fermentation broth. A total of 12 strains of P. kudriavzevii were isolated and subjected to morphological and molecular biological identification. Their fermentation performance, ethanol production, ester production, hydrogen sulfide production, killer activity, and tolerance were evaluated. The results revealed that strains Q-2, Q-9, Q-10, Q-12, Q-20, and Q-42 exhibited robust growth and strong tolerance under conditions of 40 °C temperature, 12% ethanol concentration, 350 g/L glucose concentration, and pH 2.8. Strain Q-42 demonstrated the strongest gas production capacity, killer activity, and good ester and ethanol production. As a highly active fermentation strain with excellent wine making characteristics, P. kudriavzevii Q-42 provides a valuable yeast resource for the industrial production of loquat wine and offers technical support for improving the overall quality of loquat wine.