Genus/species: Lactobacillus vini
Gram Stain: Positive
Morphology:
Cell: Rods; 0.49-0.82 micro meters x 1.36-2.8 micro meters; single cells or they grow in short chains (chain formation depends on the pH of the medium and growth stage of the microorganisms);
Colony:0.7–1.5 mm in diameter, with entire edges, smooth, glistening and white (Rodas et al).
Liquid Growth: likely dispersed.
Physiological Traits:
- Needs a wide variety of nutrients and supplements in order to grow; requires complex medium with amino acids, peptides, nucleic acid derivatives, vitamins, salts, fatty acids, fatty acids esters, fermentable carbohydrates
- Optimal growth temperature is between 20 and 37 °C (able to grow in the range between 15 and 45 °C)
- Facultatively anaerobic microorganism
- pH between 5.5 and 6.2 for optimal growth.
Ecological Traits:
Isolated form many places in nature: on grapes, grape leaves, in grape must, vegetables, water, silage, milk, soil.
Distinguishing Features:
- Able to ferment pentoses homofermentatively
- No gas is produced form glucose
- Isomeric form of the lactate that is produced
- No fermentation of gluconate, mannitol, melibiose, raffinose, and sorbitrol
- Catalase negative
Role in wine:
- Normal grape/fermentation flora.
- Due to the production of different chemical compounds (acetic acid, diacetyl, acetoin, 2,3- butandiol, ethyl lactate, diethyl succinate and acrolein) it can influence the flavor of wine.
Sensitivities:
- SO2:
- Sorbate: No inhibition by sorbate levels up to 1000 ppm.
- DMDC:
- pH: greater than 7.2
- Acids:
- Ethanol: Lactobacillus viniis able to survive alcoholic fermentation
- Anaerobiosis:
- Heat: can’t tolerate temperatures above 53 °C