Apple Cider Vinegar Mother - what is the culture?

[wild_culture]

Hello,

I am interested to know what the Apple Cider Vinegar Mother/Culture is made up of?

I understand it is a symbiotic culture which I assume contains both bacteria and yeasts - But what bacteria / yeast make up a typical ACV?
Obviously it varies slightly from batch and location but I just was interested what a typical culture contained.

Many thanks.

[TGimacountryboy]

Hi WC,
To the best of my knowledge, vinegar mother is not a scoby. It only contains one or more of the three strains of acetobacter bacteria.

According to Lawrence J. Diggs (aka The Vinegar Man), the three strains of acetobacter are: Bacterium Aceti, Bacterium Pasteurianum and Bacterium Kutzingainum.

Any of the three will convert alcohol to acetic acid (and the other products that together give vinegar its flavor).

BTW, you do not need a mother to make vinegar. If you know someone who makes a uniquely tasting vinegar, you only need to add a sample of their vinegar to some hard cider you've made and the acetobacter present in their vinegar will work their magic on the alcohol, eventually presenting you with your own mother -- along with with a wonderful batch of vinegar.

Namaste,
Tidge -_-