Puratos opens world’s first Sourdough Library in Belgium

Puratos, a Belgium-based bakery ingredient company, has opened the world’s first Sourdough Library at its Puratos Center for Bread Flavour in Saint-Vith.

Sourdough, which is a natural leavening agent for bread, is a mixture of flour and water fermented by micro-organisms, including lactic acid bacteria and wild yeast.

It gives a distinctive taste to the bread depending on the type of sourdough used.

With an aim to preserve sourdough biodiversity and sourdough baking knowledge, the sourdough library houses a unique collection of sourdoughs from bakers worldwide.

Various sourdoughs have been placed in controlled conditions to ensure the viability of these sourdough strains for the next generations.

In collaboration with universities in different countries, Puratos’ scientists have to date identified over 700 yeast variants in their samples and more than 1,500 lactic acid bacteria.

Puratos chairman Eddy Van Belle said consumers are increasingly looking for traditional recipes and authentic flavours.

"Sourdough has been used for thousands of years as an active agent in the baking process, but also as a key ingredient to give flavour," Belle added.

Established in 2009, the Puratos Center for Bread Flavour in Sankt-Vith specialises in sourdough fermentation and bread flavour development.

The company operates four sourdough sites in Andenne and Saint-Vith, Belgium; in Pennsauken, US; and in Sils, Spain.

Earlier this year, Puratos unveiled a cake freshness lab, which is designed as a point of entry for the cake industry into the world of Acti-Fresh solutions.

Acti-Fresh is an enzyme-emulsifier technology that enhances a cake’s softness, moistness and cohesiveness and is believed to allow cake manufacturers to boost sales through improved freshness.

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Image: The new library is home to a unique collection of sourdoughs from bakers across the globe. Photo courtesy of the Puratos Group.