Probiotic Potential of the Yeast Strain <i>Meyerozyma caribbica</i> TV2 Isolated from the Wild Bird <i>Pycnonotus jocosus</i>

The present study investigates the probiotic potential of the yeast Meyerozyma caribbica TV2, isolated from the wild bird Pycnonotus jocosus.The results demonstrated that M. caribbica TV2 exhibited strong tolerance to acidic pH (2.5-3.0) and bile salts (0.3% and 0.5% oxgall).The strain showed high cell surface hydrophobicity (75.5-87.5% at 24 h) and notable autoaggregation ability (94.5% at 24 h), suggesting strong adhesion potential to the gastrointestinal tract.M. caribbica TV2 also displayed health-promoting properties, including antimicrobial activity against a range of pathogenic microorganisms, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Candida albicans, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 0.625 to 2.500 mg/ml.Additionally, the strain exhibited antioxidant activity, with DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging effects showing IC 50 values of 368.8 22.1 g/ml and 34.1 1.8 g/ml, respectively.Safety evaluation indicated that M. caribbica TV2 is non-hemolytic and sensitive to common antifungal agents, including ketoconazole, amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, and clotrimazole, with inhibition zone diameters ranging from 11.5 to 23.4 mm.Collectively, these findings highlight M. caribbica TV2 as a promising non-bacterial probiotic candidate with potential applications in functional foods, gut health improvement, and food safety enhancement.To our knowledge, this is the first report describing probiotic traits in a yeast strain M. caribbica isolated from a wild avian source.