Stabilization of sourdough starter by spray drying technique: New breadmaking perspective

Aim of the study was to produce traditional and typical breads using stabilized sourdough starter without the addition of baker's yeast activator. To this end, the spray drying technique was investigated as an alternative tool to freezing, freeze drying and drying techniques to preserve sourdough starter. The stabilized sourdoughs were used in breadmaking to assess the ability to leaven and ferment the doughs and to evaluate the effect of their use on the sensory characteristics of the obtained breads. Positive and encouraging results were obtained mainly with the spray-dried sourdoughs that better preserved the vitality of both yeasts and lactic acid bacteria when compared to the traditional techniques. Furthermore, the results suggested that spray-dried sourdough, opportunely refreshed, can be successfully used for breadmaking without the use of baker's yeast activator, producing breads with sensory characteristics highly comparable to those produced using fresh sourdoughs.