Sourdough performances of the golden cereal Tritordeum: Dynamics of microbial ecology, biochemical and nutritional features

The novel cereal 'Tritordeum' was employed in sourdough fermentation for bread making using a traditional backslopping procedure over 10 days. Culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches were used to characterize microbial ecology during sourdough preparation and propagation. Sourdough reached the highest microbial diversity after three days of propagation. Microbial diversity decreased as sourdough reached maturity (day 5). Microbiota dominance shifted from Weissella to Lactiplantibacillus genera after 5 days of propagation. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) showed a constant increase throughout the propagations starting from 3.9 +/- 0.24 log CFU g(-1) on day 0 up to 8.0 +/- 0.39 log CFU g(-1) on day 5. Weissella confusa/cibaria and Weissella paramesenteroides were the most prevalent LAB species until day 5 of propagation, while Lactiplantibacillus plantarum was the most prevalent thereafter. Yeasts were present in low cell density (2.0 +/- 0.11 log CFU g(-1)) until the fourth backslopping (day 4) and then gradually increased until day 10 (5.0 +/- 0.29 log CFU g(-1)), with Saccharomyces cerevisiae being the most prevalent and dominant species. Lactic and acetic acid concentrations increased throughout Tritordeum sourdough propagations, indicative of a proportional decrease of fermentation quotient (lactic acid/acetic acid) from 13.54 +/- 1.29 to 4.08 +/- 0.15. Utilization of glucose, fructose and sucrose was observed, followed a progressive increase in mannitol concentrations beginning from day 4. The nutritional potential (total phenol content, antioxidant activity, dietary fiber content and total free amino acids) remained elevated during sourdough propagations. Antinutritional factors (phytic acid and raffinose) were reduced to minimal concentrations by day 10. Finally, texture analysis of Tritordeum sourdough bread was demonstrated to have better cohesiveness, resilience and firmness compared to baker's yeast bread, confirming its potential to improve functionality and use in sourdough biotechnology.

Automated summary

In this study, the novel cereal 'Tritordeum' was used in sourdough fermentation for bread making. Both culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches were used to analyze the microbial ecology during the fermentation process. The results showed that the microbial diversity of the sourdough decreased as it matured, and the dominant microbiota changed from Weissella to Lactiplantibacillus genera. The concentration of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) increased throughout the fermentation process, while yeast concentration gradually increased after the fourth backslapping. The Tritordeum sourdough had high nutritional potential and low levels of antinutritional factors. The texture analysis demonstrated that Tritordeum sourdough bread had better cohesiveness, resilience, and firmness compared to baker's yeast bread.