Characterizing probiotic properties of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ABO1 strain isolated from toddy palm nectar.

Cardiovascular diseases are strongly associated with high cholesterol levels, which also cause hypertension and diabetes. It is important to have optimal cholesterol levels for general well-being. This research is intended to screen, isolate, and identify probiotic yeast strains with cholesterol-reducing ability from toddy palm nectar. Out of 63 isolates, five strains ABO1, ABO11, ABO13, ABO20, and ABO21 had probiotic characteristics. Among the five isolates, ABO1 showed the highest probiotic traits and was characterized as Saccharomyces cerevisiae ABO1 by molecular-level characterization. Cholesterol reduction ability was determined using spectrophotometry and HPLC, and it was found that ABO1 recorded an 86.90% reduction, which is similar to the 86.74% reduction of the reference Saccharomyces boulardii strain. The other isolates had reduction levels of 65.23% (ABO11), 58.46% (ABO13), 14.09% (ABO20), and 12.79% (ABO21). The GC-MS analysis of 48-h cell-free culture medium revealed the presence of organic acids and bioactive metabolites with therapeutic values. Overall, the present work emphasizes the probiotic value of toddy palm nectar yeast strains with cholesterol-reducing activity, which opens the doors for possible human probiotic applications.