Physiological characterization of spoilage strains of Zygosaccharomyces bailii and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii isolated from high sugar environments

Isolates of Z. bailii showed a high level of resistance to preservatives such as sorbic acid, benzoic acid, acetic acid, cinnamic acid, and ethanol, and also to heat. Unexpectedly Z. bailii isolates were not exceptionally resistant to biocides such as peracetic acid, or hypochlorite. These results indicate that spoilage by yeasts such as Z. bailii may be better prevented by use of biocidal cleaning agents in the factory, rather than treating the food with preservatives.