Researchers Are Asking Home Bakers to Donate Their Sourdough Starters to Science

Starters aren’t just for making bread. The mixture, which consists of fermented flour and water, might also be beneficial for research. According to JSTOR Daily, scientists are studying the kitchen staple in the name of gut health.

For their research, a team of food scientists based in Europe are crowdsourcing sourdough starters from home bakers across the continent. Their study is part of the HealthFerm project, which aims to better understand how fermented foods can improve human gut health. Their ultimate goal is to create healthy, vegan foods with microbes from the live cultures. And because they require fewer resources to make than animal products, plant-based, fermented foods could also be better for the planet.

As of April 4, 2025, the scientists have collected over 800 samples. And the citizen scientists/bakers are sharing more than raw materials. They’ve also provided information about their mixtures’ acidity along with feeding and maintenance details, from flour types to storage temperatures. Their generosity is even more impressive considering how much work goes into growing a starter. The ingredient is not available at your typical grocery store, and home bakers usually have to trade starters among themselves or cultivate their own from scratch. As chef Carrie Smith of the Institute of Culinary Education told Mental Floss in March, a mature starter can take weeks or months to fully develop. 

According to Food & Wine, research shows that fermented foods can have a positive impact on health. Earlier this year, a study in the Journal of Food Science suggested that compounds in some fermented foods may improve sleep quality. According to the HealthFerm website, most research about the health benefits of fermented foods focuses on yogurt and other dairy products. Therefore, more research on plant-based fermented items is still needed.

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