Microbiota of sourdoughs from different geographical zones of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Sourdough is an important semi-finished product in bakery production, largely determining the quality of baked goods. Studying the taxonomic composition of the microbiome of sourdoughs from different regions of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus will ultimately enable the selection of lactic acid bacteria and yeast strains with high biotechnological properties for the development of new microbial consortia that will standardize the fermentation process and control the quality of baked goods, thereby ensuring sustainable development and import independence of the country’s bakery enterprises.

AIM: To study the taxonomic diversity of bacteria and yeasts in sourdoughs from different regions of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.

METHODS: The study included 27 bakery sourdoughs, including rye, wheat, and gluten-free varieties, collected in 2025 from various regions of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. The sourdoughs were used in industrial and artisanal production. The taxonomic structure of the bacterial and fungal microbiome was determined using nanopore sequencing (Oxford Nanopore Technologies).

RESULTS: Using standard microbiological methods, it was found that the lactic acid bacteria content in the starters varied from 7.7 to 9.4 lg CFU/g, while yeast ranged from < 4 to 7.8 lg CFU/g. Acetic acid bacteria were detected in six starters (from 4.2 to 7.5 lg CFU/g). In 59% of the samples, the lactobacilli Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis predominated in the bacterial communities (accounting for 93.3%–100% of the metagenome). Yeasts of the species Kazachstania humilis and/or Saccharomyces cerevisiae predominated in the sourdoughs. Yeasts of the species K. barnettii, K. kunashirensis, K. spencerorum, K. piceae, K. bulderi, K. unispora, K. jinghongensis, and K. exigua were identified, which had not previously been detected in Russian bakery sourdoughs.

CONCLUSION: Sourdough production conditions (industrial production / bakery / home conditions), as well as the raw materials used, have a statistically significant effect on the alpha diversity of sourdough bacterial communities.

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About the authors

Marina N. Lokachuk

Saint Petersburg Branch of the Scientific Research Institute for the Baking Industry

Author for correspondence.
Email: m.lokachuk@gosniihp.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5074-2457
SPIN-code: 7622-8404
Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg

Olesya A. Savkina

Saint Petersburg Branch of the Scientific Research Institute for the Baking Industry

Email: 1103savkina@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2372-4277
SPIN-code: 7310-0439

Cand. Sci. (Engineering)

Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg

Olga I. Parakhina

Saint Petersburg Branch of the Scientific Research Institute for the Baking Industry

Email: o.parakhina@gosniihp.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0508-2813
SPIN-code: 1548-3089

Cand. Sci. (Engineering)

Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg

Marina N. Kostyuchenko

Scientific Research Institute for the Baking Industry

Email: m.kostyuchenko@gosniihp.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7854-3513
SPIN-code: 2621-6471

Cand. Sci. (Engineering)

Russian Federation, Moscow

Vladimir V. Martirosyan

Scientific Research Institute for the Baking Industry

Email: v.martirosyun@gosniihp.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4026-5789
SPIN-code: 5140-5360

Dr. Sci. (Engineering), Professor

Russian Federation, Moscow

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Supplementary files

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2. Fig. 1. Content of starter microorganisms in sourdough samples.

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3. Fig. 2. Taxonomic structure of the fungal microbiome of sourdoughs.

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4. Fig. 3. Taxonomic structure of the bacterial microbiome of sourdoughs.

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5. Fig. 4. Bacterial alpha diversity (Shannon index) of sourdough microbiomes maintained in industrial and artisanal production.

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6. Fig. 5. Fungal alpha diversity index (Shannon index) of sourdough microbiomes maintained in industrial and artisanal production.

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7. Fig. 6. Bacterial alpha diversity (Shannon index) of sourdough microbiome groups prepared with different types of flour.

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8. Fig. 7. Fungal alpha diversity (Shannon index) of sourdough microbiome groups prepared with different types of flour.

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