In Massachusetts, Tufts University and North Carolina State University researchers are looking at microbes present in over 570 sourdough bread samples from around the world to see what they can learn about microbiomes from the tasty loaves. Sourdough bread is made up of flour, water, yeast and bacteria that eat the sugars in the flour producing the unique flavor and aroma of sourdough breads. Researchers are finding the samples are very similar within geographies but different depending on what kind of flour is used.
Researchers plan on sequencing the samples they’ve collected in a few months to identify the individual microbes in the starters and better understand how the starter’s microbial ecosystem vary among the different flours or geographies. They also hope the microbiome research could come in handy for bakers looking to create even tastier bread.