Objective To establish a culture-dependent rapid detection method for gas-producing spoilage bacteria in vinegar.Methods One kind of medium was screened out from six candidate media and modified. Then its specificity， accuracy， and sensitivity were determined， on which a detection method was proposed. This method was subsequently applied to assess heat sterilization conditions and preservative concentrations for vinegar products and to verify the detection effectiveness of vinegar products.Results A modified MRS medium that could specifically detect gas-producing spoilage bacteria in vinegar samples was proposed， with which negative results were obtained targeting at other 12 spoilage bacteria isolated from vinegar. The established method was adopted to examine 75 unknown vinegar samples and plastic bottle incubation method was used as control. Consistent results were obtained using both methods， however the detection rate of established method was 3-5 times faster than control， with a detection limit （initial bacterial count） ranging from 1 CFU to 10 CFU. The larger bacterial load is， the shorter detection time would be. And it will take only 1-2 d for high-contamination vinegar samples. Results also showed that sterilization at 75-85 ℃ for 5-15 min could effectively kill the gas-producing spoilage bacteria that is recalcitrant to common preservatives within their maximum allowable concentrations. The verification was in agreement with the actual situation.Conclusion The constructed method features fast， specific， accurate， and sensitive. This study sheds light on detection and comprehensive control of gas-producing spoilage bacteria for vinegar enterprises.