Abstract: Thirty endophytic strains were isolated from the skin, cob and stem of the resveratrol-rich grape variety Merlot. Through liquid fermentation and HPLC measurement of resveratrol content in the fermentation broth, 7 capable of producing resveratrol were screened out of the 30 isolates. The strain MG1 showed the strongest stability and the highest yield in the production of resveratrol (97 μg/L), whereas other six isolates had a lower and unstable ability to produce resveratrol. The strain MG1 was identified as Alternaria sp. on the basis of its morphological characteristics and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene sequence.

Key words: Merlot, grape, endophyte, resveratrol, Alternaria