Attachment I-- Final Risk Assessment of Acetobacter Aceti

Acetobacter aceti is a benign microorganism that is ubiquitous in the environment, existing in alcoholic ecological niches such as flowers, fruits, honey bees, as well as in water and soil. It has a long history of safe use in the fermentation industry for the production of acetic acid from alcohol. There are no reports in the literature suggesting that A. aceti is a pathogen of humans or animals. It also is not considered a plant pathogen. The potential risks to human health or the environment associated with the use of this bacterium in fermentation facilities are low. Since the taxonomy of the genus was recently revised, some older production strains in use for acetic acid production may, in fact, not meet the current taxonomic designation of A. aceti.