bake - January 2018 - 10

technical corner

The Science of
Sourdough
A common misconception about sourdough bread is that it
must taste sour. Yet as David Deblauwe, regional product manager, Bakery Flavors & Yeast, for Puratos Corp., explains, "there
are as many sourdoughs as there are sourdough makers." Time,
temperature and know-how of the individual baker all contribute to the unique ﬂavor of one sourdough from the next.
"I think we are at the tip of the iceberg as to what we know about
sourdoughs," he says. "We currently have 102 sourdoughs in the
Puratos Sourdough Library. They are all unique in some way."
Lactic acid bacteria and wild yeasts are present everywhere
in the world. To create sourdough, "either you let nature do its
work," as Deblauwe explains, or you add things like yogurt or
green coffee beans (which is what one baker in India is doing
with success). The method he says will be most consistent involves using pure blends of lactic acid bacteria and yeast.
Temperature has a deﬁnite inﬂuence; warmer temperatures will
lead to a milder, more lactic ﬂavor, while colder temperatures
will produce a zesty, more acidic ﬂavor.

Puratos extensively studies the sourdoughs of a speciﬁc region.
All this research creates a wealth of knowledge on the science

"Time and temperature will start to inﬂuence the ﬂavor you will

of sourdough.

you will, for sure, have a different sourdough in the winter or

"We are analyzing 24 sourdoughs every year," Deblauwe says.

summer. That's where our solutions can play a role in bringing

"We want to protect the past for future generations. We also

that consistency."

don't know yet how many platforms there are in the world."

And there is the inﬂuence of human hands. The Puratos Center

Scientists know that certain microorganisms are present in

for Bread Flavour is working to analyze the hands of bakers

certain regions. There are many variables to study. Puratos, for

in different countries to determine the inﬂuences on ﬂavor of

instance, has discovered two "very similar" sourdoughs that

sourdough bread. "Now we will have scientiﬁc evidence. We

come from areas that are a thousand miles apart. The common

want to make sure we protect the future of sourdough."

variable? They are maintained at the same altitude.

The purpose of the Puratos Sourdough Library, a physical

In the end, Deblauwe says that the valuable research con-

library where sourdough samples are stored, is threefold:

ducted by Puratos with bakers from around the world will lead

preserve the biodiversity of sourdough, serve as a backup

consumers to understand and enjoy the many different ﬂavors

and conduct research. The library was launched in 2013 at the

that are possible when creating sourdough bread. "I think you

Center for Bread Flavour in Belgium. New sourdough cultures

can really create big differences," he says. "I don't want to make

are collected each year from around the world, and every year

the same sourdough every weekend."

10 < JAN 2018 | bakemag.com

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get," Deblauwe says. "One of the challenges for bakers is that

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