Debaryomyces hansenii yeast represents a promising target for basic and applied biotechnological research It is known that D. hansenii is abundant in sausages and dry-meat products, but information regarding its contribution to their characteristics is blurry and contradictory. The main goal in this review was to define the biological contribution of D. hansenii to the final features of these products. Depending on multiple factors, D. hansenii may affect diverse physicochemical characteristics of meat products. However, there is general agreement about the significant generation of volatile and aromatic compounds caused by the metabolic activities of this yeast, which consequently provide a tendency for improved consumer acceptance. We also summarize current evidence highlighting that it is not possible to predict what the results would be after the inoculation of a meat product with a selected D. hansenii strain without a pivotal previous study. The use of D. hansenii as a biocontrol agent and to manufacture new meat products by decreasing preservatives are examples of exploring research lines that will complement current knowledge and contribute to prepare new and more ecological products.

The three families of yeast plasma membrane potassium influx transporters are represented in Candida albicans: Trk, Acu, and Hak proteins. Hak transporters work as K+-H+ symporters, and the genes coding for Hak proteins are transcriptionally activated under potassium limitation. This work shows that C. albicans mutant cells lacking CaHAK1 display a severe growth impairment at limiting potassium concentrations under acidic conditions. This is the consequence of a defective capacity to transport K+, as indicated by potassium absorption experiments and by the kinetics parameters of Rb+ (K+) transport. Moreover, hak1− cells are more sensitive to the toxic cation lithium. All these phenotypes became much less robust or even disappeared at alkaline growth conditions. Finally, transcriptional studies demonstrate that the hak1− mutant, in comparison with HAK1+ cells, activates the expression of the K+/Na+ ATPase coded by CaACU1 in the presence of Na+ or in the absence of K+.