Alicyclobacillus suci produces more guaiacol in media and has duplicate copies of vdcC compared to closely related Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris.

Abstract

Microbial spoilage increases food waste. To address that challenge, it is critical to recognize and control those microbial groups with the greatest spoilage potential. Non-specific targeting of broad microbial groups (e.g., the genus of Alicyclobacillus) in which only some members cause food spoilage results in untenable, overly broad interventions. Much of the food industry does not differentiate between guaiacol-producing and non-guaiacol-producing Alicyclobacillus species. This is overly broad because Alicyclobacillus spp. which cannot produce guaiacol can be present in beverages without causing spoilage. Furthermore, no distinction is made between Alicyclobacillus suci and Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris because A. suci is newly split from A. acidoterrestris and most of the food industry still considers them to be the same. However, these findings indicate that A. suci may have greater spoilage potential than A. acidoterrestris due to differences in their genomic determinants for guaiacol production.