The main aim of this research, performed by some students in Food Science and Technology of Foggia University, is to show how perform the selection of a functional starter through a step-by-step procedure. Fifteen yeast strains were studied in order to assess their biotechnological traits, e.g. catalase, urease, B-glucosidase, pectolytic and xylanolytic activities, production of H₂S, resistance to copper, SO₂ and acetic acid, growth at different temperatures, alkaline pH, in presence of different amounts of ethanol and glucose, and some probiotic properties. After studying these abilities, yeasts were identified through the miniaturized system API 20 C AUX and two kinds of multivariate analyses (Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis) were performed to highlight the best strains.