On 23 Nov 2003 at 15:25, Bob wrote:
> On 23 Nov 2003 15:00:30 GMT, ospam (MarDarTK) wrote:
> >Thanks for the link. Very good article.
> Except the part about starter organisms originating solely from
> baker's hands.
The origons of yeast are pretty well understood. They are everywhere.
In the air. On the grain. On the baker's skin. The concentration is
highest in the grain, so the chances or probabilities favor the grain
being the source of the yeast.
The picture is somewhat less clear with regards to the lactobacillus
bacteria. It isn't usually found on grain or in the air. It isn't found in
water. It is found on human skin. And in human dental plaque. Some
people have started sourdough starters by spitting into the flour and
water mixture. (Look at google groups and search the
rec.food.sourdough archives. It's there.)
Sourdough, like aspirin, is an old technology, and as a result not much
is spent to investigate it in a scientific way. Frank Sugihara, Dr.
Brummer, and a few others do research... but since it works without
having to understand it, and since research is unlikely to make much
money, not as much research has been, or is being, done as we might
like.
Mike
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Mike Avery
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