Frequently asked questions, definitions and explanations to include:
- I submitted more than one sourdough but only received one report. What should I do?
Each report is sent in a separate email. Please make sure to check your inbox as well as your spam/junk folder. If you're still missing one, feel free to get in touch with your contact person at your hub university.
- I submitted a sourdough, but didn’t receive a report at all — what happened?
Only sourdough samples that arrived at the laboratory before July 2024 and were forwarded in time to the responsible sequencing lab in Switzerland were included in the analysis. In total, 660 reports were generated and distributed. If you're unsure why you didn’t receive a report, please reach out to your hub university contact or email us at communityscience@healthferm.eu — we’ll be happy to help!
- Can I still ask questions or get help after receiving my report?
Absolutely! You can chat with Dough-Pro for help understanding your report, exploring your microbial community, or getting fermentation advice. If Dough-Pro can’t crack your case (yes, even AI has its limits!), feel free to contact the HealthFerm team for support 😉
- Where can I share feedback about my experience or the report?
You can fill out our Feedback Survey — it only takes a few minutes!
- What is Dough-Pro and how can I use it?
Dough-Pro is your friendly AI assistant for all things sourdough! It can explain your report, suggest fermentation tweaks, and help you explore your sourdough’s microbial profile. Get to know it here, and try it out here.
- Can I chat with Dough-Pro in my language?
Yes! Dough-Pro understands English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Finnish and Romanian, or any other language. Just start typing in your preferred language, and Dough-Pro will switch automatically.
- What do the different figures in my report mean?
Each figure gives insight into your sourdough’s fermentation behavior and microbial profile. For a detailed guide, check our explanatory blog or ask Dough-Pro to walk you through it.
- What does my sourdough’s class (1–5) mean? How was it determined?
Each sourdough was assigned to one of five classes based on the combined composition of its bacteria and yeast communities. These classes group sourdoughs with similar microbial profiles and help you see how your starter compares to others across Europe.
Want to dive deeper or experiment with switching classes? Dough-Pro might have some fun ideas on how your feeding routine could shift your microbial balance.
You can also read more in the explanatory blog post.
- Where can I find out more about the bacteria and yeasts listed in my report?
Ask Dough-Pro! It can tell you about the typical role of each species in fermentation, flavour, and sourdough health.
- Why do I see species in my report that I’ve never heard of before? Are they good or bad?
All species detected are relatively common in sourdough and are safe. They each contribute to fermentation in different ways — if you’re curious, Dough-Pro can explain more!
- My report shows only one or two microbial species — is that normal?
Yes, that’s completely normal! Some sourdoughs naturally have lower microbial diversity, often due to factors like flour type, feeding routine, hydration, or even how the sample was stored before analysis. Curious why your sourdough is on the simpler side — or how to boost its microbial richness? Ask Dough-Pro for personalised tips on encouraging a more diverse and lively starter ecosystem!
- What is the difference between dominant and subdominant species?
Dominant species are the most abundant and likely drive most fermentation. Subdominant ones are less abundant but still contribute to flavour and stability.
- My sourdough has species that aren’t typical for its class — is something wrong?
Not at all! Each sourdough is unique, and microbial variation is totally normal. Dough-Pro can help interpret what this means for your specific case.
- How can I change the microbial composition of my sourdough (e.g. make it more diverse / more active)?
Your feeding routine, flour type, and temperature can influence the microorganisms. Dough-Pro can give personalised suggestions based on your current practices and microbial composition listed in your report.
- I’d like to promote certain flavors (more sour, more fruity, etc.). Is that possible through feeding?
Yes! Different microbes are associated with different flavour profiles — some contribute more acidity, others bring out fruity, buttery, or malty notes. By tweaking your flour type, hydration, and feeding schedule, you can influence which microbes thrive in your sourdough. Want to get creative? Dough-Pro is ready to help you experiment and guide you toward your desired flavour direction!
- What do the fermentation preference plots mean (spider plot, pH, etc.)?
These plots show how your sourdough behaves compared to others — like feeding time, dough yield, acidity, etc. Check the guide or ask Dough-Pro to break it down.
- I have provided information about my sourdough maintenance practices and sent in a sourdough sample, but didn’t hear back anything. When can I expect to learn more about the analysis results?
Your samples are currently under investigation! We are analyzing both the microbes in the sample and the chemical composition of your sourdough using complex methods to capture as much of the diversity and functional potential as possible. You will soon receive a detailed report on the most important microbes present in your sourdough. While we cannot make any big promises, we are doing our best to have your reports ready by the end of this year or early 2025. Exciting times ahead!
- Will I get several sourdough reports in case I’ve provided several samples?
Yes! for each sourdough, you will get an individual report with the unique microbial compositions of your sourdoughs.
- Will I get additional reports if I also provided other fermented foods than sourdough?
Eventually, we aim to report those results as well. However, our first priority is the sourdough samples. We will first share all the sourdough results, followed by the results for fermented foods in a second phase.
- How will I get my analysis report(s)?
The reports will be distributed via email.
- What is the procedure after the online registration? Or: I have correctly filled out the available questionnaire online. When will I get my sampling kit to ship my sourdough to you for analysis?
Please note that filling out the online questionnaire does not guarantee involvement in the second stage of sourdough collection. Only a limited number of participants are selected for the second stage. You will be notified by e-mail when the sampling kit is ready for collection/shipment. Once you get the kit, you are invited to perform some home experiments with your sourdough, register the results in a second online survey and ship the sample together with your signed consent form (important!) to the lab.
- When do I get my analysis results?
Please be patient, good science, like good bread, takes a little time. We measure acidity levels and cultivate microbes (both bacteria and yeasts) immediately after the arrival or your sourdough(s) in the lab. To determine the exact microbial composition and measure metabolites, such as the abundance of acids, carbohydrates, proteins and fatty acids, your sourdoughs will subsequently undergo very time and resource intensive analysis procedures. We will keep you posted on the progress, but please do not expect to receive the final analysis results within the next few days or weeks.
- I do not have a sourdough, but still would like to contribute to fermented food research. Can I send in other fermented food or beverage samples? Or: I do also ferment other foods and beverages. Can I send additional foods or beverages together with my sourdough for analysis?
Yes, we collect also other fermented foods and beverages! We encourage you to get in touch with ETH Zurich Switzerland via communityscience@healthferm.eu . Please state which kinds of foods or beverages you do ferment and they will be happy to provide you more details 🙂.
- When should I best ship my sourdough/other fermented food sample? At the beginning or ending of the week?
We are happy to receive your sample anytime 🙂. However, the fresher the sample, the more accurate are the analysis results. Therefore, try to ship it rather at the beginning of the week, so that your sample won’t lay around somewhere in the warm or cold (nobody can know) over the weekend before reaching us in the lab.
- Why is the pH of my sourdough higher than 4? From a sensory perspective it is very sour?
Sourdoughs can have very variable acidity levels, depending on flour type and additional ingredients, fermentation time and temperature, and most importantly the potential of the microbes in your sourdough to produce a diverse range of different acids. In addition, not all acids lead to the same drop in pH (lower pH is more acidic, higher pH more basic). For example, a high abundance of lactic acid leads to a lower pH than a high abundance of acetic acid, even though based on a sensory analysis you may think that both examples lead to the same ‘sourness’ of your sourdough.
- Will the industry commercialize my sourdough?
No! None of your sourdoughs will go anywhere else than to our labs for analysis and research. The analysis results will be open accessible and trackable for you via your unique identifier(s). For everyone else, including the industry, the results are anonymized.
- Can I send in several sourdoughs?
Absolutely! Please either fill in the registration form individually for each one of your sourdoughs. Or, indicate the number of your sourdoughs such that we can ship you more than one sampling container. In the latter case, you would also get several unique identifiers, one for each of your sourdoughs. We ask you then to register sourdough maintenance details and home experiment results for each one of your sourdoughs and collect these responses via the unique identifiers to be able to link it to our analysis results in the lab.
- Do I have to fill in the registration form several times if I have several sourdoughs?
Please refer to the previous answer.