Why S. Cervisiae in your starter is not the same as bakers yeast
An interesting article which explains why the yeast within your starter differs from bakers yeast even though it's common to find the same species of yeast.
People are surprised at how common 'bakers yeast' is and think it's interior if found in their starters. Truth is it was chosen because it's so common! Once something is domesticated it becomes different. Same when one domesticated an animal or even different types of grain. For instance wild einkorn differs to domesticated einkorn and same goes for all other wheat varieties and why they differ to each other. And what makes our starters sourdough is not only wild yeasts but the accompanying bacteria!
Because they come from the flour, are kept in the flour, fed with flour, are part of a symbiotic culture with a multitude of yeast and bacteria, and are susceptible to change they aren't truly ever domesticated.
I think that’s a good point. As long as the microbes remain in their natural environment, they aren’t domesticated. True domestication in my book would be when they’ve adapted to unusual conditions to the extent that they are no longer well-suited to thrive in their wild habitat.
Nice article Abe, thanks for sharing it with us.
Benny
I wonder why ?
People are surprised at how common 'bakers yeast' is and think it's interior if found in their starters. Truth is it was chosen because it's so common! Once something is domesticated it becomes different. Same when one domesticated an animal or even different types of grain. For instance wild einkorn differs to domesticated einkorn and same goes for all other wheat varieties and why they differ to each other. And what makes our starters sourdough is not only wild yeasts but the accompanying bacteria!
So very true!
So when can we call our wild sourdough starters domesticated?
Because they come from the flour, are kept in the flour, fed with flour, are part of a symbiotic culture with a multitude of yeast and bacteria, and are susceptible to change they aren't truly ever domesticated.
I think that’s a good point. As long as the microbes remain in their natural environment, they aren’t domesticated. True domestication in my book would be when they’ve adapted to unusual conditions to the extent that they are no longer well-suited to thrive in their wild habitat.
Wild yeast thrive better in the acidic environment of a starter than the domesticated yeast.
When they fetch slippers and newspapers I'd call them domesticated
Can you imagine looking through a microscope and seeing that ?