Pediococcus is a genus of gram-positive lactic acid bacteria, placed within the family Lactobacillaceae. They usually occur in pairs or tetrads, and divide along two planes of symmetry,
Food processing
Pediococcus is, along with other lactic acid bacteria such as
Leuconostoc and
Lactobacillus, responsible for the fermentation of
cabbage, making it
sauerkraut. In this process, the sugars in fresh cabbage are fermented to
lactic acid, which gives sauerkraut a sour flavour and good keeping qualities.
Pediococcus bacteria are usually considered contaminants of
beer and
wine,
although their presence is sometimes desired in beer styles such as
lambic and
Berliner Weisse.
Certain
Pediococcus isolates produce
diacetyl which gives a
or
butterscotch aroma to some wines (such as
Chardonnay) and a few styles of beer.
Pediococcus species are often used in
silage inoculants. Pediococci are used as probiotics, and are commonly added as beneficial microbes in the creation of sausages, cheeses and yogurts.
Species
The genus
Pediococcus comprises the following species:
-
Pediococcus acidilactici Lindner 1887 (Approved Lists 1980)
-
Pediococcus argentinicus De Bruyne et al. 2008
-
Pediococcus cellicola Zhang et al. 2005
-
Pediococcus claussenii Dobson et al. 2002
-
Pediococcus damnosus Claussen 1903 (Approved Lists 1980)
-
Pediococcus ethanolidurans Liu et al. 2006
-
Pediococcus inopinatus Back 1988
-
Pediococcus parvulus Günther and White 1961 (Approved Lists 1980)
-
Pediococcus pentosaceus Mees 1934 (Approved Lists 1980)
-
"Pediococcus perniciosus" Claussen 1903 nom. inval.
-
Pediococcus siamensis Tanasupawat et al. 2007
-
Pediococcus stilesii Franz et al. 2006
Former members:
-
"Pediococcus dextrinicus" reclassified as Lapidilactobacillus dextrinicus.
-
"Pediococcus halophilus" reclassified as Tetragenococcus halophilus.
-
"Pediococcus lolii" reclassified as Pediococcus acidilactici.
-
"Pediococcus urinaeequi" reclassified as Aerococcus urinaeequi.
-
"Pediococcus cerevisiae" strains reclassified to P. damnosus, P. acidilactici and P. pentosaceus.
Phylogeny
The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature
and the phylogeny is based on whole-genome sequences.
Further reading
External links
