Turbatrix aceti

Tainted vinegar with Essigälen

The Turbatrix aceti ( Turbatrix aceti, syn. Anguillula aceti ) is a free-living, bacteria- eating nematode ( nematodes ), which can reach a length of up to 2 mm ( figure 1 mm).

Occurrence

The Turbatrix aceti preferably occurs in sugar or alcohol -containing media, in which there is acetic acid fermentation, and feeds on the acetic acid bacteria. With the proliferation of Turbatrix aceti on fermenting fruit fruit flies play an important role. In the manufacture of vinegar, the vinegar is purified by filtration and pasteurization of the nematodes.

Features

The whitish appearing adult animals have a pointed posterior end and a rounded front end. After hatching, four larval stages are passed through, of which the third is in poor environmental conditions to form a durable permanent mold capable. The increase occurs rapidly since the year can grow many generations.

Because you can Turbatrix aceti breed easily, they also serve as fodder for fish larvae in aquariums. Because of their rapid generation time, they are also used as test animals for genetic research.