Influence of ethyl acetate production and ploidy on the anti-mould activity of Pichia anomala

A diploid and a haploid strain of Pichia anomala were tested for their biocontrol ability against the spoilage mould Penicillium roqueforti in glass tubes filled with grain at two water activities (a(w)). At a(w) 0.98, the two yeast strains grew and inhibited mould growth equally well and showed similar patterns of ethyl acetate production, reaching maximum values of 10-14 mug ml(-1) headspace. At a(w) 0.95, both growth and biocontrol performance of the haploid strain were reduced. Ethyl acetate formation was also substantially reduced, with maximum headspace concentrations of 4 mug ml(-1). We conclude that ethyl acetate is a major component of the anti-mould activity. The inhibitory effect of ethyl acetate was confirmed in a bioassay where the pure compound reduced biomass production of P. roqueforti. (C) 2004 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.