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Intercontinental Study Sheds Light on Microbial Life of Sourdough
In a study of 500 sourdough starters spanning four continents, scientists have garnered new insights into the environmental factors that contribute to each sourdough starter’s microbial ecosystem, and how different types of microbes influence both a sourdough’s aroma and how quickly the sourdough rises. The results may surprise sourdough enthusiasts.
“We didn’t just look at which microbes were growing in each starter,” says Erin McKenney, co-author of the paper and an assistant professor of applied ecology at North Carolina State University. “We looked at what those microbes are doing, and how those microbes coexist with each other.”
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IMAGE: This image shows sourdough starter in a mason jar. In a recent study of 500 sourdough starters, spanning four continents, scientists garnered new insights into the environmental factors that contribute. view more
Credit: Lauren Nichols
In a study of 500 sourdough starters spanning four continents, scientists have garnered new insights into the environmental factors that contribute to each sourdough starter s microbial ecosystem, and how different types of microbes influence both a sourdough s aroma and how quickly the sourdough rises. The results may surprise sourdough enthusiasts. We didn t just look at which microbes were growing in each starter, says Erin McKenney, co-author of the paper and an assistant professor of applied ecology at North Carolina State University. We looked at what those microbes are doing, and how those microbes coexist with each other.
A study of 500 sourdough starters from four continents offers new insights into the environmental factors that contribute to each sourdough starter’s microbial ecosystem.
The findings, which also shed light on how different types of microbes influence both a sourdough’s aroma and how quickly the sourdough rises, may surprise sourdough enthusiasts.
“We didn’t just look at which microbes were growing in each starter,” says study coauthor Erin McKenney, an assistant professor of applied ecology at North Carolina State University. “We looked at what those microbes are doing, and how those microbes coexist with each other.”
“There have been quite a few small studies on microbial ecosystems in sourdough,” says coauthor Benjamin Wolfe, an associate professor of biology at Tufts University. “We think this is the first large-scale study, building on all of that previous work.”
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Sierra Gillman, left, a recent Northern Michigan University graduate, and NMU wildlife ecology assistant professor Diana Lafferty have researched black bears, specifically microbial communities inside the species’ intestinal tract. Gillman worked with Upper Peninsula hunting guides in her studies. (Photo courtesy of NMU)
MARQUETTE In recent decades, researchers have found that most mammals’ guts are surprisingly complex environments home to a variety of microbial ecosystems that can profoundly affect an animal’s well-being.
A Northern Michigan University alumna and her faculty mentor are among scientists who have now learned that the American black bear appears to be an exception. Its simple gut hosts a microbial population that varies little across the intestinal tract.