Saccharomyces

The yeast -- Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii -- is a commonly used and safe probiotic.

Starting in 2015, Hittinger's team sequenced the genomes and studied the metabolisms of nearly every known species of a group of yeasts distantly related to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, better known as baker's yeast.

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is commonly called brewer’s yeast because it’s used to brew beer and ferment other alcoholic beverages.

The exact cocktail of bacteria in probiotic drinks can vary, with Lactobacillus, Saccharomyces, and Bifidobacterium being some of the most common.

In the wild, the yeast strain of interest, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, prefers glucose and lacks the ability to metabolize xylose.