Isolation and characterization of Oenococcus oeni from Aglianico wines.

A technological characterization of Oenococcus oeni strains isolated from Aglianico wines was performed to select starter cultures for malolactic fermentation (MLF). One hundred and fifty six O. oeni isolates were extracted from Aglianico wines, and identified by using speciesspecific PCR. Malolactic activity (MLA), sulphur dioxide (SO2) resistance, acetaldehyde metabolism and other technological characteristics were tested. Differences in the technologically relevant characteristics were observed. All O. oeni strains were able to grow at low temperature and none in presence of 14% of ethanol. About 80% of O. oeni degraded more than 80% of acetaldehyde, producing ethanol and acetic acid as final products. Among nine O. oeni chosen, four isolates were sensitive to 60 mg of SO2 l-1, while the other five had high resistance. Considering their technological characteristics, five O. oeni strains could be selected starter cultures for MLF in Aglianico.