Behaviour of the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus var. marxianus during its autolysis.

The lactic yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus var.marxianus (formerly K. fragilis) autolyzates at faster rate than Saccharomyces cerevisiae. During K. marxianus autolysis, quite similar release kinetics were observed for intracellular space markers (potassium ions, nucleotides), cell-wall components (polysaccharides, N-acetyl-D-Glucosamine) and non specific products (amino nitrogen). By Scanning Electronic Microscopy examination, no cell burst was observed, but a variation in cell shape (from ellipsoîdal to cylindrical), as well as a 43% decrease in the internal volume were observed. The mechanism proposed for S. cerevisiae autolysis appeared also likely for K. marxianus.