Evaluation of probiotic potentials of yeast isolates from traditional fermented rice beverages of Meghalaya, India

Meghalaya is a land of unexplored traditional knowledge mainly inhabited by Garo, Khasi and Jaintia tribes. Locally available well known traditionally prepared fermented alcoholic indigenous rice beverage is known as Chubitchi by Garos, kyiad by Khasi and Sadhiar by Jaintias. The objective of this study was to identify functional and potential probiotic yeast involved in the production of rice beverage. Yeast cultures are used since old age with many health attributes and it is also applied in the production of fermented rice beverages traditionally. Five yeast isolates were selected, the isolates were tolerant to a wide range of pH (2.0, 3.0), high concentration of bile salt (0.5%) and also showed zone of precipitation in bile salt hydrolase plates. They showed resistance against broader range of clinically important antibiotics and showed moderate cell surface hydrophobicity. The isolates could produce enzymes viz. amylase and were found to be glucoamylase deficient. The isolates showed antimicrobial activity and were able to scavenge ABTS(+) until 3 min. The isolates could also assimilate cholesterol above 85% after 24 h. Exopolysaccharide production was reported in all of the isolates. Further, the yeasts isolated from fermented rice beverage could serve as promising starter cultures with rich probiotic potentiality.