CULTURE MEDIUM FOR DETECTION OF <i>DEKKERA</i> AND <i>BRETTANOMYCES</i>

摘要

The present invention provides a generic culture medium for the detection and enumeration of yeasts belonging to the Dekkera and Brettanomyces genera and a method for the detection and enumeration of said yeasts using said culture medium. According to the invention, the method comprises adding to a base yeast culture medium, a non fermentable energy source, particularly ethanol, p-cumaric acid, as an aromatic compound promoting substract, exclusively produced by said yeast genera, an acid-base indicator, particularly bromocresol green, a yeast growth inhibitor antibiotic, particularly cycloheximide, and a bacterial growth inhibiting antibiotic, particularly chloramphenicol and/or oxytetracycline. When yeasts of the genera Dekkera and Brettanomyces are cultivated in said medium, the developed colonies show a characteristic color, the culture medium color changes according a reproducible pattern, due to the decrease in pH, and a characteristic phenol-like aroma is developed, easily detectable by smell after a few days of incubation, which allows their detection and enumeration. The invention is useful in the detection and enumeration of yeasts belonging to the Dekkera and Brettanomyces genera in the food and beverage industry, allowing its inclusion in yeast identification galleries.