Influences of Ingredients and Bakers on the Bacteria and Fungi in Sourdough Starters and Bread. Sourdough starter microbial communities

Sourdough starters are naturally occurring microbial communities in which the environment, ingredients, and bakers are potential sources of microorganisms. The relative importance of these pools remains unknown. Here, bakers from two continents used a standardized recipe and ingredients to make starters that were then baked into breads. We characterized the fungi and bacteria associated with the starters, bakers’ hands, and ingredients using 16S and ITS rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and then measured dough acidity and bread flavor. Starter communities were much less uniform than expected, and this variation manifested in the flavor of the bread. Starter communities were most similar to those found in flour but shared some species with the bakers’ skin. While humans are likely contributing microorganisms to the starters, the reverse also appears to be true. This bidirectional exchange of microorganisms between starters and bakers, highlights the importance of microbial diversity on bodies and in our environments as it relates to foods.