Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Sep 11;12(9):1872.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms12091872.

Genotypic Stability of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Industrial Rye Bread Sourdoughs Assessed by ITS-PCR Analysis

Liis Lutter  1 , Aljona Kuzina  1 , Helena Andreson  1
Affiliations

Genotypic Stability of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Industrial Rye Bread Sourdoughs Assessed by ITS-PCR Analysis

Liis Lutter et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Sourdough bread production relies on metabolically active starters refreshed daily with flour and water. The stability of sourdough microbial strains is crucial for consistent bread quality. However, many bakeries lack information on the persistence of starter cultures in ongoing sourdough production. Consequently, there is growing interest in identifying microbial strains from regularly used sourdoughs that possess good functional properties and resist changes in the complex growth environment. This study aimed to evaluate the composition and stability of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in industrial wheat (WS) and rye (RS) sourdoughs propagated over a long period. LAB isolates (n = 66) from both sourdoughs, sampled over four seasons, were identified using phenotypic methods and genotyped via ITS-PCR and ITS-PCR/TaqI restriction analysis. Eight LAB species were detected, with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum being the most dominant and stable. Nineteen distinct LAB genotypes were observed, highlighting significant diversity. The presence of identical LAB genotypes in both sourdoughs suggests microbial transfer through the environment and bakery workers. LAB in RS were found to be more stable than those in WS. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring microbial stability and diversity in industrial sourdough production to maintain consistent bread quality.

Keywords: L. plantarum; LAB genotypes; rye sourdough; wheat sourdough.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Example of ITS-PCR of LAB species from different sourdoughs (A–E) and the restriction of the same ITS-PCR products with the TaqI enzyme (A′–E′). M—100 bp DNA ladder; WS—wheat sourdough; RS—rye sourdough; numbers—sample ID numbers. The patterns show the differentiation of LAB species and strains, including L. plantarum (A,A′), L. parabuchneri (B,B′), L. paracasei (C,C′), L. fermentum (D,D′), and C. mindensis (E,E′) across various sourdoughs.
Figure 2
Figure 2
ITS-PCR UPGMA dendrogram of L. parabuchneri strains digested with the TaqI restriction enzyme, where B1–B5 represent the genotypes of the species.
Figure 3
Figure 3
UPGMA dendrogram of LAB (n = 66) based on ITS-PCR products digested with TaqI. Each cluster is numbered with Roman numerals with the corresponding genotypes (grouped according to their electrophoresis patterns in Table 2) indicated in parentheses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Lhomme E., Orain S., Courcoux P., Onno B., Dousset X. The Predominance of Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis in French Organic Sourdoughs and Its Impact on Related Bread Characteristics. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 2015;213:40–48. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2015.05.010. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Nami Y., Gharekhani M., Aalami M., Hejazi M.A. Lactobacillus-Fermented Sourdough Improve the Quality of Gluten-Free Bread Made from Pearl Millet Flour. J. Food Sci. Technol. 2019;56:4057–4067. doi: 10.1007/s13197-019-03874-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Saa D.L.T., Nissen L., Gianotti A. Metabolomic Approach to Study the Impact of Flour Type and Fermentation Process on Volatile Profile of Bakery Products. Food Res. Int. 2019;119:510–516. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2019.01.024. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fu L., Nowak A., Zhao H., Zhang B. Relationship between Microbial Composition of Sourdough and Texture, Volatile Compounds of Chinese Steamed Bread. Foods. 2022;11:1908. doi: 10.3390/foods11131908. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Scheirlinck I., Van der Meulen R., De Vuyst L., Vandamme P., Huys G. Molecular Source Tracking of Predominant Lactic Acid Bacteria in Traditional Belgian Sourdoughs and Their Production Environments. J. Appl. Microbiol. 2009;106:1081–1092. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2008.04094.x. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources