Ethanol in low concentrations (5–10% weight) affected aerobic growth (at 37°C) of two strains of Stuphylococcus aureus . Growth inhibition in laboratory media was observed with ethanol about 6–7% weight water activities (a w ) of ∼0.97. This suggested that the ethanol antibacterial effect was not only from its a w lowering ability. Electron microscopy observations showed intense morphological modifications in cells in broth with 5% to 6.5% ethanol, and clearly indicated that cell wall changes of S. aureus was partly responsible for the antibacterial action of ethanol.
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Ballesteros et al. (1993) studied this question.