PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Donald J. Cox
AU  - Thomas Henick-Kling
TI  - A Comparison of Lactic Acid Bacteria for Energy-Yielding (ATP) Malolactic Enzyme Systems
AID  - 10.5344/ajev.1990.41.3.215
DP  - 1990 Jan 01
TA  - American Journal of Enology and Viticulture
PG  - 215--218
VI  - 41
IP  - 3
4099  - http://www.ajevonline.org/content/41/3/215.short
4100  - http://www.ajevonline.org/content/41/3/215.full
SO  - Am J Enol Vitic.1990 Jan 01; 41
AB  - The malolactic fermentation has been shown to be an energy-yielding process in six strains of lactic acid bacteria which contain the full malolactic enzyme system. The mechanism for this reaction is chemiosmotic. A mutant strain with a defective malolactic enzyme did not produce ATP during malate catabolism; the parent strain did produce ATP during malate catabolism. A strain of Lactobacillus plantarum that is naturally malolactic-deficient does not produce ATP when given L-malate as a substrate. The data support the hypothesis that the malolactic enzyme system has evolved as an energy-producing mechanism for lactic acid bacteria adapted to the low pH of wine.