Detection and identification of microorganisms in wine: a review of molecular techniques.

The microbial ecology of wine is complex. Microbes can play both positive and negative roles in the quality of the final product. Due to this impact, the microbial ecology of wine has been well studied. Traditional indirect methods, such as plating, have largely been replaced by a number of molecular methods. These methods are typically either indirect methods used for identification of cultured organisms, or direct methods used to profile whole populations or identify specific microbes in a mixed population. These molecular methods offer a number of advantages over traditional methods including speed and precision. This review will examine both direct and indirect molecular methods, provide examples of their impact on the study of the microbial ecology of wine, and also discuss their strengths and limitations.