Biology Forums - Study Force

I need bacteria only (no other types of organisms) and the specific strains of bacteria and description of them or any sources where I can find the information. Thanks.

Wine is primarily made using yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, via alcoholic fermentation. The pyruvate decarboxylase enzyme used by these yeasts to produce ethanol is rare in bacteria, however there are a few bacterial organisms than can carry out alcoholic fermentation.

Zymomonas mobilis is one of the rare species that does possess the pyruvate decarboxylase, and would be able to produce ethanol. It can be isoalted from the Mexcian alcoholic beverage "pulque".

Sarcina ventriculi and Ervinia amylovora are other representative organisms that can produce ethanol from fermentation.

Many lactic acid bacteria, enterobacteria, and clostridia can produce considerable ethanol without the pyruvate decarboxylase. Instead, they convert:
pyruate -> acetyl-CoA -> acetaldehyde -> ethanol, alcohol dehydrogenase.

It has been of high interest to the alcohol industry to find organisms that can produce ethanol under high temperature, to prevent contamination of unwanted organisms. Some bacterial species capable of such alcoholic fermentation at high temperatures include: Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum, Thermoanaerobium brockii, and Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus. Note that these organisms lack pyruvate decarboxylase and produce considerable acetate and lactate in addition to ethanol.

Hope this helps!

Although yeast is the mnajor microorganism used because of its ability to metabolize sugars into alcohol this reference mentions also "lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria and other bacterial groups all play a role in the production of alcoholic fruit products.".