Sourdough

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/sourdough

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary organic acids?Lactic acid and acetic acid
2. What makes sourdough bread sour and bubbly?Sourdough has tiny living things called wild yeasts and bacteria. The yeasts eat sugars and make carbon dioxide, which creates bubbles. The bacteria produce acids that give the bread its sour taste.
3. Why does sourdough taste tangy?The bacteria in sourdough make lactic acid, which gives a mild tang. They also make acetic acid, which adds a sharper, more pungent flavor.

Symbiotic Culture: A stable community of different microorganisms living and interacting together, like yeast and bacteria in sourdough.
Heterolactic Fermentation: A metabolic process where bacteria produce lactic acid, acetic acid, and carbon dioxide from sugars.
Bioavailability: The degree to which a nutrient can be absorbed and used by the body.