Microbial spoilage causes food losses in the food industry and as such, the use of synthetic chemical preservatives is still required. The current study proposes the use of agro-waste, i.e., grape pomace extracts (GPE), as production medium for biopreservation compounds. Production kinetics, subsequent to optimization using response surface methodology (RSM) for biopreservation compounds production was studied for three yeasts using GPE broth as a fermentation medium. The results showed that the highest volumetric zone of inhibition (VZI) was 1.24 L contaminated solidified media (CSM) per mL biopreservation compounds used (BCU) when Candida pyralidae Y1117 was inoculated in a pH 3-diluted GPE broth (150 g L-1) incubated at 25 °C for 24 h. Similar conditions were applied for Pichia kluyveri Y1125 and P. kluyveri Y1164, albeit under slightly elongated fermentation periods (up to 28 h), prior to the attainment of a maximum VZI of only 0.72 and 0.76 L CSM mL-1 ACU, respectively. The potential biopreservation compounds produced were identified to be isoamyl acetate, isoamyl alcohol, 2-phenyl ethylacetate and 2-phenyl ethanol.
Keywords: Candida pyralidae; Pichia kluyveri; growth inhibition activity; optimization; potential biopreservation compounds; production kinetics.