Candida krusei

Candida krusei is a budding yeast (a species of fungus) involved in chocolate production. While C. krusei is in the same genus as Candida albicans, the major cause of yeast infection in humans, it very rarely causes any problems to humans.

Role in chocolate production
Cacao beans have to be fermented in order to remove the bitter taste and break them down. This takes place with two fungi, C. krusei, and Geotrichum. Most of the time the two fungi are already present on the seed pods and seeds of the cacao plant, but in modern chocolate making, specific strains are used. Each chocolate company uses their own strains, which have been selected to provide optimum flavor and aroma to the chocolate. The yeasts reproduce every few hours, and soon there are thousands of individual yeast cells in a small area, which produce enzymes to break down the pulp on the outside of the beans. This makes acetic acid, killing the cacao embryo inside the seed, developing a chocolatey aroma and eliminating the bitterness in the beans.