The use of sourdough lactic acid bacteria as a cell factory for delivering functional biomolecules and food ingredients in gluten free bread

The incidences of celiac disease (CD) or other allergic reactions / intolerances to gluten are increasing largely due to improved diagnostic procedures and changes in eating habits. CD is a permanent autoimmune enteropathy, triggered in genetically susceptible individuals by ingesting gluten from wheat, rye, barley, and other closely related cereal grains. Currently, the estimated prevalence of CD is around 1 % of the population in the western world and medical nutritional therapy (MNT) is the only accepted treatment for CD. To date, the replacement of gluten in bread presents a significant technological challenge for the cereal scientist due to the low baking performance of gluten free products (GF). The increasing demand by the consumer for high quality GF bread, clean labels and natural products is rising. Microbial fermentation by means of lactic acid bacteria and yeast is one of the most ecological/economical methods of producing and preserving food. Sourdough has been used since ancient times for the production of rye and wheat bread, its universal usage can be attributed to the improved quality, nutritional properties and shelf life of sourdough based breads.Consequently, the exploitation of sourdough for the production of GF breads appears tempting. This presentation will highlight how sourdough lactic acid bacteria can be an efficient cell factory for delivering functional biomolecules and food ingredients to enhance the quality of GF bread