Acetobacter europaeus sp. nov., a Main Component of Industrial Vinegar Fermenters in Central Europe

A new species in the genus Acetobacter, for which we propose the name A. europaeus sp. nov., has been isolated and characterized in pure culture from high acid vinegar fermentations in Germany and Switzerland. In contrast to the other species of acetic acid bacteria, the isolated strains from industrial vinegar fermenters need acetic acid for growth. They could be cultivated on a special double layer agar with 4 to 8% acetic acid (Entani et al., 1985). DNA-DNA hybridization between the DNA of 10 isolated A. europaeus strains as labelled DNA probe with the type strains of Acetobacter aceti, A. hansenii, A. liquefaciens, A. methanolicus, A. pasteurianus, A. xylinum, Gluconobacter oxydans and G. oxydans subsp. melanogenes indicated less than 25% DNA similarity. The important features of the new species are described. Acetobacter europaeus strain DES 11 (DSM 6160) is the type strain.