Presence of lactic acid bacteria in wines from Southern Italy

The study focused the attention on the presence of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in samples of wine from Southern Italy. LAB play an important role in wines; in particular their malolactic fermentation produce additional flavours, reduce the acidity and improve the stability for ageing. Also, the glycosidase enzymatic activity can supply for liberation of grape-derived aroma compounds and can improve the sensory characters of wine. Therefore, the identification and the characterization of wine autochthonous LAB is very important in order to define a selected starter for wine-making. In this study LAB, isolated from different wines from Southern Italy, were identified by different conventional and innovative approaches. Phenotypic identification was obtained by the use of classical methods (Gram-staining, Catalase test, CO2 production, Fermentative profiles). Protein-fingerprinting method was used as an innovative approach for rapid identification of LAB; whole-cell proteins were analyzed by automated microfluidic technology. Previous methods allowed the identification of several bacterial species from wines including Oenococcus oeni, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus brevis. The results obtained from conventional identification were confirmed by the proteomic study, which resulted a rapid and reproducible tool for bacterial identification