Does anyone have any information about or experience with Candida valida?
Does anyone have any information about or experience with Candida valida?
Background info:
We have a randomly-occurring issue with an acidified pickle product that is developing what seems to be a yeast colony—looks similar to a yeast “mother” that you’d see in some apple cider vinegar products—long before it reaches the expected shelf-life (4 months). We've only seen it happening to our pickle spears, which are hand-packed in PET jars along with dried spices and brine. It's an issue that pops up randomly at different times of year, and are struggling to identify the source of the yeast because all of the ingredients, including the plastic jars and lids, are used to produce other pickle items. The other pickle items have showed 0 issues with yeast; we usually have a consistent history of third-party results for yeast at <10 CFU/g.
Third-party lab results identified it as from genus Candida, specifically the species Candida valida. When I asked if their lab director was able to tell me where this specific yeast might originate from, he said this was only the 2nd time he's identified it (this species) in his career. The internet has not provided me much insight into this either. So...I need help. :helpplease:
What is the pH, salt content, etc. comparted to the other pickled products? I think it may be worth reviewing batch records for concentrations for a normal lot and a lot that produced the issue and comparing those results to see if there is any correlation to the growth.
What is the pH, salt content, etc. comparted to the other pickled products? I think it may be worth reviewing batch records for concentrations for a normal lot and a lot that produced the issue and comparing those results to see if there is any correlation to the growth.
It's all within normal parameters compared to the other products. That's what makes the phenomenon so frustrating, unfortunately. The occurrences are infrequent, too, including what time of year it happens. All I can really do right now is put every bit of information from each material used in each affected batch into an excel spreadsheet and wait until a common variable pops up. I'm even including who was working in that production room in case it's originating from an individual.
I was able to gleam a bit more info about the yeast. Unfortunately, it seems like our pickle products give it the perfect environment to thrive when it does show up--at least the anamorph version of P. membranifaciens. Boo. :(
If there are any noteworthy developments, I'll try to update this thread.