Chestnut flour sourdough for gluten-free bread making

The objective of this research was to study spontaneously fermented chestnut flour sourdough and to evaluate its effect in gluten-free bread based on corn starch and chestnut flour. Lactic acid bacteria and yeasts counts, pH and titratable acidity of chestnut flour sourdough were measured during 6 days of sourdough propagation. Chestnut flour sourdough fermented for 5 days with back-slopping every 24 h with 33 % of the ripe sourdough was selected to elaborate gluten-free bread. Control breads contained 15, 20 or 25 % of chestnut flour, and sourdough breads contained the same amount of chestnut flour added as chestnut flour sourdough. Chestnut flour sourdough improved bread specific volume, rendered breads with lighter crusts, reduced crumb hardness at day 0 and day 7 and reduced pH. However, chestnut flour sourdough had no effect on yeasts and molds growth during 7 days of bread storage and did not influence sensory characteristics perceived by consumers.