Dynamic interactions of lactic acid bacteria in Korean sourdough during back-slopping process.

Aims: This study aimed to clarify the cause of quality reduction in Korean sourdough after successive back-slopping.
Methods and Results: We investigated the dynamic changes in lactic acid bacteria during the back-slopping process using genetic fingerprinting techniques. During the initial propagation phases, the dominant lactic acid bacteria were Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis (<5 log CFU per g sourdough), Latilactobacillus curvatus (9·5 log CFU per g sourdough) and Levilactobacillus brevis (6·5 log CFU per g sourdough). However, after the 11th propagation, F. sanfranciscensis became more prominent (>9·0 log CFU per g sourdough), whereas L. curvatus and L. brevis rapidly decreased. Monitoring these bacteria in the co-culture system revealed that acid-tolerant F. sanfranciscensis rapidly utilized maltose (1·65 g l ^-1  h ^-1 ) and produced large amounts of lactic acid, whereas L. brevis and L. curvatus consumed maltose slowly and L. curvatus was poorly tolerant to lactic acid.
Conclusion: The results indicate that competition exists between the lactic acid bacteria in sourdough during the back-slopping process, and microbial succession by acid-tolerant species results in quality reduction of sourdough.
Significance and Impact of the Study: This study uncovered the cause of microbial changes during the propagation of Korean sourdough and proposed a strategy to develop starters to produce high-quality bakery products.
(© 2021 The Society for Applied Microbiology.)