Applying deconstructed sourdough communities and fermentation parameters to low-FODMAP wheat bread production

Despite being made with the same starting materials, standard and sourdough bread differ in terms of levels of fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs). This study aims to assess the impact of a selected yeast-bacteria co-culture isolated from sourdough starters in conjunction with varying bread-making process parameters on bread FODMAP content and overall quality. A survey of the microbial composition of sourdough starters found that many contain Maudiozyma humilis and Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis . A selected pairing was used for small-scale bread-making, and dough fermentation and bread quality parameters were assessed. The sourdough microbes exerted distinctive effects on dough gassing capacity and FODMAP composition in comparison to baker’s yeast. To meet low-FODMAP cutoff values, the presence of a fermenting yeast and an extended dough fermentation time (> 6 h) were necessary. Sensory panellists preferred the sourdough co-culture bread fermented for 24 h over the 6 h treatment, and detected more complex aromas in the former. An extended, low-temperature dough fermentation regimen can be used to produce low-FODMAP bread with standard bread-making materials, and the use of sourdough fermentation microbes confers distinct textural and organoleptic properties.