A transcriptomic approach to unravel the interactions between Companilactobacillus crustorum and Wickerhamomyces anomalus, a consortium of sourdough microorganisms

Sourdough is a flour-water mixture fermented by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast. Its production process can be steered thanks to the addition of starter cultures. The LAB-yeast pair formed by the LAB strain Companilactobacillus crustorum LMG 23699 and the yeast strain Wickerhamomyces anomalus IMDO 010110, both originating from sourdough, is a novel mixed-strain starter culture. In this study, full-genome sequencing of these two strains was performed using long-read (Oxford Nanopore Technology) and short-read (Illumina Technology) technologies. The annotated genomes served as the basis to interpret the results of a differential gene expression analysis at selected time points during mono- and co-culture fermentation processes carried out in wheat sourdough simulation media (WSSM) and a modified version (mWSSM) containing ester precursors.