I wonder if the slimy qualities of some sourdoughs is a result of dexan being a fermentation product/intermedieate. Anyone analyzed this?
I remember in HS chemistry class, our instructor explaining what makes bleach feel so slimy is our own skin cells dissolving in it. 'Nuff said?
Arrgh! I meant to type dextran, not dexan.
Good chance that dextran does have some influence on how the starter would feel. Impossible to precisely answer without isolating everything in your product, removing them one by one and seeing if a single item is the culprit. If anyone has that much time to analyze that, he/she needs more hobbies :)
Could you have possibly misspelled "dextrin" which results from alpha amylase breaking down ruptured starch granules? Beta amylase then breaks down dextrin into maltose.
after reading the abstract referenced above, here's one that will kill you off for certain:
Handbook on sourdough biotechnology, Marco Gobbetti, Michael Gänzle, Springer, 2012.
It seems that some strains of lactobacilli in sourdough (also some other bacteria) are able to produce dextrans during the fermentation process, pH conditions are favourable and the effect on the dough would be as you mention and as is described in the article above. Yield varies with sugar content but can reach about 11% in optimum conditions it seems.
I briefly took a look at some pages, have access through a university subscription to academic publications. Didn't study it in detail and study it you must if you wish to understand, I have a degree in pharmacology and think it would be totally inaccessible to persons without at least a basic biochemistry background.
Could you give me the page number please. This would be very nice.
See e.g. chapter 7 (physiology and biochemistry of lactic acid bacteria, p. 183 onwards.
Thanks, I see, the german version differs a lot.
It's OK - they made me take biochemistry for my Foods and Nutrition degree. B^)
The reason I was curious is that dextrans are synthesized from sucrose by several beneficial lactic acid bacteria, such as Leuconostoc mesenteroides among others, including. Leuconostoc bacteria are correlated with slimy doughs.
I make yellow dextrin from cornstarch for envelope glue. Requires 450 dF and 20 minute mixings for approximately 4 hours.
An extremely small amount is produced from wheat starch in the crust during baking. A petri dish growth medium made from it will grow a variety of available bio items.