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Microorganisms

Acetic acid bacteria (Acetobacter / Gluconobacter)

Acetic acid bacteria

Japanese: 酢酸菌（Acetobacter属 / Gluconobacter属）

Aerobic bacteria that oxidize alcohol into acetic acid. Essential for vinegar production, they are also involved in kombucha fermentation.

Acetic acid bacteria convert alcohol into acetic acid. Wine becomes vinegar; sake becomes rice vinegar. This small aerobic bacterium drives that transformation.

Acetic acid bacteria need oxygen to work. They form a film on the liquid surface, oxidizing alcohol as they breathe the air. In traditional static fermentation vinegar-making, this film becomes the bacteria's home itself.

Acetic acid bacteria are also essential in kombucha's SCOBY, partnering with yeast to transform sweet tea into a tangy beverage.

Related words

SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast)

A symbiotic community of acetic acid bacteria and yeast used in kombucha fermentation. It forms a cellulose gel membrane and converts tea sugars into alcohol and organic acids.

Aerobic bacteria / Aerobic microorganisms

Microorganisms that require oxygen for growth. Acetic acid bacteria and some molds are representative examples, performing efficient energy metabolism using oxygen.

Acetic acid fermentation

The reaction in which acetic acid bacteria oxidize alcohol into acetic acid. An aerobic fermentation essential for vinegar production.

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