Elaboration of a spontaneous gluten-free sourdough with a mixture of amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa flours analyzing microbial load, acidity, and pH.

Pseudocereals are gluten-free, nutrient-dense raw materials that are being considered for the production of gluten-free products, especially bread. This study proposes a gluten-free sourdough formula based on equal amounts of amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa with a dough yield of 250, and an elaboration method to obtain ripe sourdough. Sourdough was characterized in terms of microbiology, pH, and total titratable acidity.

Comparison of the microbial dynamics and biochemistry of laboratory sourdoughs prepared with grape, apple and yogurt.

The microbiological culture-dependent characterization and physicochemical characteristics of laboratory sourdough prepared with grape (GS) were evaluated and compared with apple (AS) and yogurt (YS), which are the usual Spanish sourdough ingredients. Ripe GS took longer than AS and YS to reach the appropriate acidity and achieved lower values of lactic acid. In all sourdoughs, the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) increased during processing and were the dominant microorganisms (>1E+8 CFU/g).

Population density and distribution of wheat bugs infesting durum wheat in Sardinia, Italy.

Wheat is a very important crop in Italy, and is infested by wheat bugs belonging to the genera Eurygaster (Hemiptera: Scutellaridae) and Aelia (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Many wheat bug infestations have been reported in the north, south, and center of Italy, both in the past as well as recently. The present study was carried out in Sardinia, Italy, during two years (2007 and 2008).