Kazachstania humilis (Candida milleri, Candida humilis), is familiar in sourdough and other fermentation. Favored by artisan fermenters and bakers, it brings friends to help create delightful flavors and textures.
Kazachstania humilis is a budding yeast of the family Saccharomycetaceae. It's often used in fermenting wheat and rye sourdoughs, and is the second most frequently identified sourdough yeast after Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
It's found in batches of wild yeast and in the natural environment. A single-celled microorganism, it can prosper in many habitats, but never alone.
K. humilis consumes sugars and secretes byproducts including:
Carbon Dioxide: The gas makes sourdough bread rise.
Ethanol: Less inclined to alcohol production than some other yeasts, K. humilis is beloved by bakers for its natural flavors
Organic Acids: Adding another depth of flavor and the characteristic tanginess.
In nature, it breaks down molecules, releasing nutrients to be efficiently recycled in soil and water. This yeast encourages growth of friendly lactic acid bacteria, promoting ecosystem diversity and health.
K. humilis prefers acidic conditions with pH of 3.5 - 4. The lactic acid produced by the bacteria help increase environmental acidity. This encourages the breakdown of substrates, helping release sugars.
Common habitats include decaying plant matter, overripe fruits, and fermentation materials. It's best known and studied in sourdough starters.
It's also been found in orange juice, coastal mangrove sediments, bamboo shoot fermentation and decayed oranges. It's been isolated from beer. It helps make drinks like tequila, and takes part in fermenting cocoa beans.
In traditional sourdough cultures, Kazachstania humilis can be isolated from up to 50% of active starters. It helps shape the distinctive flavor and texture of the bread.
In food and beverages like kefir and kombucha it reunites with lactic acid bacteria. Unlike S. cerevisiae, K. humilis can't absorb the sugar maltose, abundant in barley.
In such situations it calls on bacteria like Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis who break maltose down to a double glucose, much enjoyed by the yeast. It also likes other fermented grain products, such as fermented oatmeal.
In sourdough, as in the natural environment, it has an ongoing relationship with lactic acid bacteria (LAB), such as the Lactobacillus species. LAB like Lactobacillus brevis and L. buchneri produce both lactic and acetic acids.
They create a zesty sour flavor and inhibit growth of unwanted microbes by increasing the acidity in the environment. In turn, yeasts produce invertase, an enzyme enabling both yeast and bacteria to metabolize sugars.
Kazachstania humilis collaborates with other yeasts as well, creating a rich microbial community.
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