Nutritional requirements and biochemical activities of pineapple pink disease bacterial strains from Hawaii

Abstract

Bacteria which cause pink disease of pineapple, identified on the basis of their nutritional and biochemical activities, were found to belong to three genera. These bacteria include the following species: Gluconobacter oxydans, Acetobacter aceti, and Erwinia herbicola. Several pink disease strains required one to three vitamins for growth. Both G. oxydans strains 303D and 180 required biotin, nicotinic acid, and pantothenic acid for growth; E. herbicola 189 required only nicotinic acid; however, A aceti 295 was able to grow without any added supplements in glucose mineral salts medium. Optimal vitamin concentrations for maximal growth and optimal pH for the maximal number of generations per hour was established for a few pink disease strains.

Identification of Acetobacter liquefaciens as Causal Agent of Pink‐Disease of Pineapple Fruit

“…These subspecies were abandoned in the latest edition of Bergey's Manual (DE LEY et al 1984 b). The results of CHO et al (1980) with strain 295 differed from ours in: Kovacs' oxidase reaction, growth on acetate as sole carbon source, acid from meso-erythritol, D-fructose, D-galactose, Dmannitol. The utilization of different experimental conditions may explain these contradictions.…”

“…Both strains are ketogenic on glycerol, D-mannitol and sorbitol; they produce acid from n-propanol, n-butanol, mesoerythritol, D-mannose and D-glucose, grow on n-propanol, ethanediol, mesoerythritol, D-mannitol, D-galactose, D-fructose, D-glucose, Ca-D-gluconate, Ca-D, L-glycerate and Na-D, L-lactate as carbon source; L-glutamic acid, Llysine and L-proline but neither L-alanine or ammonium can serve as sole source of nitrogen in the presence of D-mannitol as a carbon source; with ethanol, ammonium is utilized as sole nitrogen source even without growth factors. CHO et al (1980) identified strain 295 as "A. aceti" {sensu DE LEY and FRATEUR 1974) and referred to the existence of brown pigment producing subspecies within "A. aceti". These subspecies were abandoned in the latest edition of Bergey's Manual (DE LEY et al 1984 b).…”

“…Gluconobacter oxydans and Frateuria aurantia strains Apart from the characteristics which differentiate Gluconobacter from Acetobacter, the following phenotypic features differentiate brown pigment producing gluconobacters, acetobacters, and frateuria's: acid from D-galactose (+, -, +), D-mannitol (+, -, -), maltose (-I-, -, -); growth on Ca-D, Lglycerate (-, +, +); growth on ammonium as sole nitrogen source with ethanol (~> +) ~)-Growth factor requirements are clearly dependent on the carbon and nitrogen sources supplied. According to CHO et al (1980), A. liquefaciens strain 295 does not require growth factors when a mixture of 18 L-amino acids is supplied. In our hands, i. e. with vitamin-free casamino acids as sole nitrogen source, A. liquefaciens strains 222 and 295 required other growth factors than those present in the growth factor mixture supplied (i. e. d-biotin, Ca-dpantothenate, thiamine, folic acid, p-aminobenzoic acid, vitamin B 12, all at 0.001 %; pyridoxal-hydrochloride, nicotinic acid and riboflavin at 0.00015 %).…”

“…Two bacterial isolates causing pink-disease of pineapple fruit, designated 303 D and 180 were identified by CHO et al (1980) as Gluconobacter oxydans. Based on their results we would indeed characterize them as G. oxydans, belonging to the nicotinic acid requiring biovar.…”

Pink Disease, a Review of an Asymptomatic Bacterial Disease in Pineapple

“…Almost four decades ago, an isolate obtained from a diseased fruit, did not show perceptible symptoms when it was inoculated in fresh fruits but induced discoloration after heating the inoculated fruits (Rohrbach and Pfeiffer 1976). The authors identified that strain as belonging to the species Enterobacter agglomerans (Pantoea agglomerans, gaVINI, et al, 1989) (ChO, et al, 1980;PFeIFFeR, 1976). Afterwards, Pantoea citrea was identified as another causative microorganism (Cha, et al, 1997a), also in the Family Enterobacteriaceae.…”