SOUR DOUGH FERMENTATION OF BARLEY FLOURS WITH VARIED CONTENT OF MIXED-LINKED (1-]3),(1-]4)-BETA-D-GLUCANS

The possibility of making sour doughs from barley flour was investigated Three flours with different content of mixed-linked (1-->3), (1-->4) beta-D-glucans were fermented spontaneously and with two kinds of starter cultures: Lactobacillus plantarum (A) and Lactobacillus brevis (B). All three flours supported sour dough fermentation both spontaneously and with the use of starter cultures. The latter simplified the procedure and produced finished sour doughs in a shorter time. The chemical composition of the flour influenced pH and acidity in the final sour doughs regardless of starter cultures. The total amount of beta-glucans in the sour doughs decreased during the fermentation and to a higher extent by starter culture B (ranging from 18-31%) than by starter culture A (ranging from 10-20%). (C) 1995 Academic Press Limited.