isolation and identification of the yeast saturnispora silvae from rotting carrots from the market

Fruits and vegetables, particularly carrots (daucus carota l.), play a vital role in human health by providing dietary fiber, essential micronutrients, carotenoids, and antioxidant compounds, which collectively reduce the risk of chronic diseases. however, postharvest microbial spoilage significantly threatens carrot quality and safety, leading to 20-40% losses in developing countries due to the presence of bacteria, molds, and yeasts. this study aimed to isolate and identify yeast species from spoiled carrot samples collected from markets. spoiled carrots were collected from local markets in karaj. under sterile conditions, a portion of the infected carrot tissue was suspended in saline solution and cultured on potato dextrose agar (pda) plates supplemented with 30 mg/l of chloramphenicol. yeast isolates were identified based on colony morphology, microscopic characteristics, growth temperature range, biochemical tests, and sequence analysis of the amplified d1/d2 domain of the 26s rrna gene. the isolated yeast strain produced ovoid to spheroidal vegetative cells measuring 2–5 µm in diameter. it can ferment glucose and assimilate citrate. the growth temperature range, biochemical characteristics, and phylogenetic tree analysis confirmed the identification of the isolated yeast as saturnispora silvae.  this study reports the first isolation of saturnispora silvae from spoiled market carrots, demonstrating its ability to ferment glucose and colonize damaged tissues, potentially exacerbating post-harvest spoilage. fruits and vegetables, particularly carrots (daucus carota l.), play a vital role in human health by providing dietary fiber, essential micronutrients, carotenoids, and antioxidant compounds, which collectively reduce the risk of chronic diseases. however, postharvest microbial spoilage significantly threatens carrot quality and safety, leading to 20-40% losses in developing countries due to the presence of bacteria, molds, and yeasts. this study aimed to isolate and identify yeast species from spoiled carrot samples collected from markets. spoiled carrots were collected from local markets in karaj. under sterile conditions, a portion of the infected carrot tissue was suspended in saline solution and cultured on potato dextrose agar (pda) plates supplemented with 30 mg/l of chloramphenicol. yeast isolates were identified based on colony morphology, microscopic characteristics, growth temperature range, biochemical tests, and sequence analysis of the amplified d1/d2 domain of the 26s rrna gene. the isolated yeast strain produced ovoid to spheroidal vegetative cells measuring 2–5 µm in diameter. it can ferment glucose and assimilate citrate. the growth temperature range, biochemical characteristics, and phylogenetic tree analysis confirmed the identification of the isolated yeast as saturnispora silvae.  this study reports the first isolation of saturnispora silvae from spoiled market carrots, demonstrating its ability to ferment glucose and colonize damaged tissues, potentially exacerbating post-harvest spoilage.