Abstract
Thirty-eight strains of hiochi bacteria, ethanol-tolerant Saké-spoilage lactobacilli, were analyzed for their cellular fatty acid spectra with special reference to their classification. They were separated, with respect to their fatty acid spectra, into three groups, which corresponded respectively to the homo- fermentor, and mevalonic acid-dependent and -independent hetero-fermentors. Long straight-chain saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids with 20-26 carbon atoms were found, in addition to fatty acids ordinarily known in typical lactobacilli, exclusively in the mevalonic acid- dependent hetero- fermentative group (L. heterohiochii), the most predominant Saké-spoilage microorganism. Uniqueness of the synthetic pathways for fatty acids of this alcoholophilic organism producing these long-chain acids was pointed out, and the feasibility of detecting or characterizing rapidly the spoilage bacteria in hiochi-infected Saké through the fatty acid analysis of the sedimented cells was discussed.
