Osmophile
An osmophile is an
growth-limiting factor for many microorganisms, yet osmophiles protect themselves against this high osmotic pressure by the synthesis of osmoprotectants such as alcohols and amino acids. Many osmophilic microorganisms are yeasts; some bacteria
are also osmophilic.
Osmophilic yeasts are important because they cause food spoilage in the sugar and sweet goods industry, with products such as fruit juices, fruit juice concentrates, liquid sugars (such as golden syrup), honey, and in some cases marzipan. Among the most osmophilic are:
| Organism | Minimum aW |
|---|---|
Saccharomyces rouxii |
0.62 |
Saccharomyces bailii |
0.80 |
| Debaryomyces | 0.83 |
| Wallemia sebi | 0.87 |
| Saccharomyces cerevisiae | 0.90 |
See also
Look up osmophile in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- Extremophile – Organisms capable of living in extreme environments
- Xerophile – Organism that can grow and reproduce with low available water
References
- L. R. Beuchat (December 1981). "Efficacy of agar media for enumerating two Saccharomyces species in sucrose syrups". Mycopathologia. 76 (3). .
- Ancasi EG; Carrillo L; Benitez Ahrendts MR (Apr–Jun 2006). "Moulds and yeasts in bottled water and soft drinks (in Spanish)". Rev Argent Microbiol. 38 (2): 93–6. PMID 17037258.