The Effect of Substrate Type and Surrounding Environment on the Microbial Communities of Sour Dough Bread Starter Cultures in Erie, PA.

Microbial communities are complex dynamic systems that can be influenced by a variety of environmental conditions and other mechanisms. A microbial community of note can be found within sourdough bread starter cultures. These cultures are used in the production of sour dough bread, originating from the local environment, containing primarily yeasts, pollens, and native bacteria. The purpose of this study is to better understand the diversity of this dynamic community and to determine what factors influence its formation. It is hypothesized that substrate and surrounding community will influence the microbial community found within starters. Starter cultures were produced during the Summer of 2021 and created using flour from two grain types, wheat, or barley. After sourdough starters were created, triplicates of each starter were incubated in one of two environments. An indoor environment, a kitchen, or an outdoor environment, a green roof found on a local library. DNA was extracted from all 12 samples and quantified. Starter cultures were incubated and maintained in each environment for 14 days. DNA was sent to be analyzed through Illimuna sequencing of the 16s rRNA gene for bacteria and ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) region for fungi.