Aims: To investigate 17 strains of therapeutically relevant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (including 10 strains of so-called S. boulardii) isolated from various pharmaceutical products, feed supplements and brewer's yeast for their capability of utilizing selected carbohydrates of prebiotic importance.
Methods and results: Automated turbidimetric measurements and conventional test combinations were used to examine the basic sugar assimilation profiles of the test strains. It was shown that none of the so-called S. boulardii strains utilized galactose and palatinose. Among the prebiotic substrates, the yeasts indicated a pronounced preference for metabolizing the fructo-oligosaccharides.
Conclusion: Yeast strains of therapeutic relevance can be successfully combined with certain prebiotics in symbiotic formulations.
Significance and impact of the study: The results of this study may serve as a basis for the development of new pharmaceutical preparations for medical therapy and a better understanding of intestinal micro-ecology.