Differentiation of mixed lactic acid bacteria communities in beverage fermentations using targeted terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are an important group of bacteria in beer and wine fermentations both as beneficial organisms and as spoilage agents. However, sensitive, rapid, culture-independent methods for identification and community analyses of LAB in mixed-culture fermentations are limited. We developed a terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP)-based assay for the detection and identification of lactic acid bacteria and Bacilli during wine, beer, and food fermentations. This technique can sensitively discriminate most species of Lactobacillales, and most genera of Bacillales, in mixed culture, as indicated by both bioinformatic predictions and empirical observations. This method was tested on a range of beer and wine fermentations containing mixed LAB communities, demonstrating the efficacy of this technique for discriminating LAB in mixed culture.