Occurrence and Activity of Some Lactic Acid Bacteria From Apple Juices, Ciders and Perries

Some of the lactic acid bacteria of apple juices, ciders and perries have been examined with a view to establishing the following: their relationship with similar organisms from other beverages and the effect of their growth in ciders. These organisms could be divided into three main groups, namely, heterofermentative cocci, heterofermentative rods and homofermentative rods, representatives of the first two groups being the most frequently encountered. Members of all three groups may be responsible for the malo-lactic fermentation. Some members of the group of heterofermentative rods are mainly responsible for the disorder of ropiness, while the activities of the remaining organisms may be either beneficial or deleterious according to the pH and nutritional status of the ciders in which they grow.