Beneficial effects of acetic acid bacteria and their food products

Acetic acid bacteria are widely spread in nature and in a variety of food products. The main characteristic of acetic acid bacteria is the oxidation of ethanol, sugars and sugar alcohols to different kinds of organic acids, in general and in particular, to acetic acid. Therefore, the end product of the fermentation is mainly acetic acid; this oxidation reaction is also called oxidative fermentation, which is the main production mechanism of several foods and beverages, such as vinegar, cocoa and Kombucha tea. This group is also important to produce specific products, such as bacterial cellulose and ascorbic acid. The large interest in food and beverage production is mainly due to the ability of acetic acid bacteria to oxidize ethanol to acetic acid. However, this reaction could also induce the spoilage of some food products, such as alcoholic beverages, especially wine and beer, soft drinks, fruits and fruit-based products (Raspor and Goranovic 2008, Guillamón and Mas 2009, Sengun and Karabiyikli 2011). © 2017 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC