Why the bacterium Oenococcus oeni is vital for a good glass of wine

Wine is produced by the alcoholic fermentation of the sugars in grape juice by yeasts. There are secondary fermentations, usually carried out by the bacterium Oenococcus oeni, which produce flavour/aroma compounds which add to the overall quality of the wine. In a new article published in Open Biology, researchers have constructed a proteomic map of O. oeni ATCC BAA-1163 and, by comparison with maps of related strains, have identified a series of proteins that could be of importance in the secondary fermentation of wine. This proteomic map will form an important basis for the future production of high quality wine.

Reference two-dimensional gels from protein preparations. Total protein (a) and membrane (b) fractions obtained from extract of O. oeni ATCC BAA-1163 were analysed in two-dimensional gels, by the use of a nonlinear pH gradient (pH 3.0–11.0) and the second dimension ranging from 150 to 10 kDa.

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