Biotechnological potential of yeasts in functional food industry

Background: Biotechnological potential of yeasts can be evidenced by the rich history of its application in food fermentation. Several yeast species isolated from fermented foods have been characterised and applied as starter/co-starter in functional food industries. The outcome of modem research in the recent past on nutraceuticals and development of functional foods using yeasts suggests its bright future in food biotechnology. Scope and approach: In this article, bioactive compounds produced using yeasts including beta-glucan, carotenoids, glutathione, bioactive peptides, gamma-aminobutyric acid, organic selenium, prebiotic oligosaccharides and free polyphenols, are discussed. Yeast species having probiotic potential as well as therapeutic properties are highlighted in the manuscript. Recent studies on metabolic engineering approaches applied to develop yeast strains with additional functional properties with higher industrial importance have also been reviewed. Key Findings and Conclusions: The current review summarizes the importance of yeast in the production of functional food and development of bioprocesses for the production of high value nutraceuticals. The review also highlights the importance of yeast as a single starter as well as a component of mixed starter cultures in production of bioactive metabolites. However, there is a need of exploration of novel yeast strains that have the ability to produce novel and efficient biocatalysts from traditional fermented foods for advances in food industry bioprocesses.