Spoilage Potential of Contaminating Yeast Species , and during Cold Storage of Skyr.

This study investigated the spoilage potential of yeast strains (Km1, Km2 and Km3) Pk1 and Td1 grown in skyr in cold storage. Yeast strains were isolated from skyr and identified by sequencing of the 26S rRNA gene. yeasts were grown in skyr to high numbers, generating large amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOC) associated with off-flavours, among them were alcohols (3-methyl-1-butanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol and 1-hexanol), esters (ethyl acetate and 3-methylbutyl acetate) and aldehydes (hexanal, methylbutanal and methylpropanal). Growth of Pk1 led to moderate increases in several alcohols and esters (mostly, 3-methyl-1-butanol and ethyl acetate), whereas only minor shifts in VOCs were associated with Td2. The levels of the key aroma compounds, diacetyl and acetoin, were significantly decreased by all strains and Pk1. In contrast to the other yeast species, was able to utilize lactose, producing ethanol and carbon dioxide. Based on the overall results, was characterised by the highest spoilage potential. The study revealed the differences between the yeast species in fermentative and spoilage activities, and clarified the role of yeast metabolites for off-flavour formation and quality defects in skyr during cold storage.