Genomic Evolution and Adaptation to Wine of Oenococcus oeni

O. oeni is the main driver of malolactic fermentation. It grows slower than other lactic acid bacteria (LAB) but flourishes late in wine fermentation because it has better tolerance to high acidity and alcohol content. The first sequenced O. oeni genome in 2005 revealed several adaptations to the wine environment, such as loss of metabolism and biosynthetic pathways of many vitamins, cofactors, sugars, and amino acids, which are compensated by the richness of grape juice and autolysis of yeast. O. oeni also lacks several DNA maintenance genes and mutates faster than other related LAB species.