| Kluyveromyces lactis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Phylum: | Ascomycota |
| Subphylum: | Saccharomycotina |
| Class: | Saccharomycetes |
| Order: | Saccharomycetales |
| Family: | Saccharomycetaceae |
| Genus: | Kluyveromyces |
| Species: | Kluyveromyces lactis |
Kluyveromyces lactis is a Kluyveromyces yeast commonly used for genetic studies and industrial applications. Its name comes from the ability to assimilate lactose and convert it into lactic acid.
Besides E. coli and Aspergillus niger var awamori, K.lactis is one of the main organisms grown in industry in fermenters to produce chymosin on a large scale. Chymosin is used for cheese production.
The genome of K.lactis has been sequenced.[1]