Culture Collection of Yeasts – CCY (Zbierka kultúr kvasiniek) Culture Collection of Yeasts ( CCY ) has the general character. There are maintained medically and technologically important yeasts and yeast-like species, type strains, patent deposits, as well as the strains for use in research laboratories for comparative and test studies in the fields of taxonomy and genetic. The CCY collection holds about strains belonging to 390 species.

History of CCY collection Culture Collection of Yeasts CCY (formerly Czechoslovak Collection of Yeasts) was founded by Dr. Anna Kocková-Kratochvílová at the Research Institute of Brewing and Malting in Prague in In 1947 the collection became a member of the World Information Centre in Lausane, Switzerland. In 1953 the CCY collection was moved to Bratislava to the Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry of Slovak Technical University. From 1962 the collection has been located in the Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences. The CCY collection has been listed in the „World Directory of Collections of Cultures of Microorganisms“ since In 1992 the collection acquired the status of the International Depository Authority for the deposit of microorganisms under the Budapest Treaty. In 1993 the collection was renamed from Czechoslovak Collection of Yeasts to Culture Collection of Yeasts. Acronym CCY remained in force.

Membership Culture Collection of Yeasts CCY is a member: European Culture Collections Organizations World Federation of Culture Collections (WFCC). CCY collection cooperates with all collections of the world. It is listed in the World Directory of Collections of Cultures of Microorganisms under No The CCY collection is the „International Depositary Authority“ for the deposit of microorganisms under the Budapest Treaty.

Maintenance of yeast strains Classic way of preservation – on agar slants under paraffin oil at laboratory temperature or without paraffin oil in refrigerator at 4  C. Storage in liquid nitrogen at – 196 ºC with the adding of cryoprotective agents to the cell suspension.

Activities of the collection The main function of the collection is to deposit all pure yeast cultures with their original properties and to provide the following activities: Maintain of the strains of yeast and yeast-like organisms important for research, industry, reference strains for testing and quality assurance in public health and environmental protection, taxonomically and genetically significant strains as well as patented strains. Extend the collection with endemic isolates, type cultures, strains exchanged with the other collections and by voluntary deposit of strains by other scientists. Supply pure yeast strains on demand for research, teaching, industry, genetic modification, and medicine.

Activities of the collection Identify and specify the strains important for research, industry and environmental protection. Assign the function of International Depository Authority for patent deposits which have been stored in CCY for 30 years.

Research interest The Culture Collection of Yeasts has programme of research: Diversity of yeasts and yeast-like microorganisms associated with plant material – their properties, activity and survival (VEGA)