ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses thermotolerant properties of Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) and the applications of thermotolerant strains in industrial uses. It also discusses improvement of AAB strains by genetic modification. Acetic acid bacteria are natural oxidizers for ethanol, sugars, sugar alcohols and sugar acids. Thermotolerant AAB isolated from natural sources possess the thermotolerant ability with moderate productivity of the desired products, leading to the need for development to acquire better strains for industrial application. Cocoa heap fermentation has been known to be a source for isolation of AAB. Fermentation efficiency for vinegar production of thermotolerant strains was found to be similar to mesophilic acetic acid producers grown at 30°C. Besides producing cellulose, most thermotolerant AAB produce various types of polysaccharides; extra cellular polysaccharides or capsular polysaccharides (CPS). CPS is known as pellicles which are capsules that cover cells of AAB and help the cells to float on the medium surface in order to take up enough O2 for cellular activities.
