''Oenococcus'' is a genus of

gram-positive In bacteriology, gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that give a positive result in the Gram stain test, which is traditionally used to quickly classify bacteria into two broad categories according to their type of cell wall. Gram-positive bact ...

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were am ...

, placed within the family

Lactobacillaceae The ''Lactobacillaceae'' are a family of lactic acid bacteria. It is the only family in the lactic acid bacteria which includes homofermentative and heterofermentative organisms; in the ''Lactobacillaceae,'' the pathway used for hexose fermentati ...

. The only species in the genus was ''

Oenococcus oeni ''Oenococcus oeni'' (known as ''Leuconostoc oeni'' until 1995) is a Gram-positive bacterial species in the genus of ''Oenococcus''. It was the only species in the genus until 2006, when the species ''Oenococcus kitaharae'' was identified. As its ...

'' (which was known as ''Leuconostoc oeni'' until 1995). In 2006, the species ''

Oenococcus kitaharae ''Oenococcus'' is a genus of gram-positive bacteria, placed within the family Lactobacillaceae. The only species in the genus was ''Oenococcus oeni'' (which was known as ''Leuconostoc oeni'' until 1995). In 2006, the species '' Oenococcus kita ...

'' was identified. As its name implies, ''Oenococcus oeni'' holds major importance in the field of

oenology Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

, where it is the primary bacterium involved in completing

malolactic fermentation Malolactic conversion (also known as malolactic fermentation or MLF) is a process in winemaking in which tart-tasting malic acid, naturally present in grape must, is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid. Malolactic fermentation is most often ...

References

Lactobacillaceae Bacteria genera {{Lactobacilli-stub