Yeasts as Potential Probiotics

Yeasts are the ubiquitously distributed eukaryotic microbes being components of human commensal microbiota. Many yeasts have probiotic properties. Saccharomyces boulardii, isolated around 100 years back is the most widely studied probiotic yeast. For major biological traits and features, Saccharomyces boulardii resembles Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Specific phenotypes make the yeasts better suited to survive in the gastrointestinal tract and as biotherapeutic in humans. In addition to their use in fermentation of foods since ages, some yeasts produce high levels of recombinant proteins and nutraceuticals such as conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs), and improve the health of people with irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease. Genome engineering or genome editing have been used to improve therapeutic and commercial efficiency of yeasts.