In the presence of glycerol or ethanol, SCPP (a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that expresses pectinolytic activity) is capable of utilizing galacturonic acid or pectins for growth purposes. We now establish a relationship between the pectinolytic power of various strains of S. cerevisiae and their ability to grow on a pectin/glycerol-based medium. This property is further exploited for the detection of polygalacturonase-producing strains of S. cerevisiae.