Yeast diversity in open agave fermentations across Mexico

Abstract

Yeasts are a diverse group of fungal microorganisms that are widely used to produce fermented foods and beverages. In Mexico, open fermentations are used to obtain spirits from agave plants. Despite the prevalence of this traditional practice throughout the country, yeasts have only been isolated and studied from a limited number of distilleries. To systematically describe the diversity of yeast species from open agave fermentations, here we generate the YMX‐1.0 culture collection by isolating 4524 strains from 68 sites with diverse climatic, geographical, and biological contexts. We used MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry for taxonomic classification and validated a subset of the strains by ITS and D1/D2 sequencing, which also revealed two potential novel species of Saccharomycetales. Overall, the composition of yeast communities was weakly associated with local variables and types of climate, yet a core set of six species was consistently isolated from most producing regions. To explore the intraspecific variation of the yeasts from agave fermentations, we sequenced the genomes of four isolates of the nonconventional yeast Kazachstania humilis. The genomes of these four strains were substantially distinct from a European isolate of the same species, suggesting that they may belong to different populations. Our work contributes to the understanding and conservation of an open fermentation system of great cultural and economic importance, providing a valuable resource to study the biology and genetic diversity of microorganisms living at the interface of natural and human‐associated environments.

Take‐away

• We isolated and identified 4524 yeast strains from open agave fermentations in Mexico.

• A core set of six yeast species was consistently found across diverse regions.

• Kazachstania humilis genomes differed significantly from those of isolates in other regions of the world.

• We report two candidate new species related to the Pichia clade.