JPS5947582B2 - Lyophilized baking composition - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a freeze-dried bread-making composition useful as a sourdough starter for French bread and a method for making the same.

Sourdough French bread has a unique crust structure (crus).
It is a type of bread that has unique properties such as having a sour and sour taste.
It has been manufactured for over 00 years.

The present invention uses this natural starter.

"Natural starter" here refers to the active ingredients extracted,
It has been used in baking applications for more than 100 years without having to grow it in an artificial medium, then separate the active ingredients and concentrate and stabilize it for future use. I mean starter.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved starter that can be easily distributed, thereby making sourdough French bread unique to the San Francisco region available throughout the world.

According to the present invention, Lactobacillus sanfrancisco (L.
, 5 an francisco) and virtually no growth during the culture period (undeve-1 ope).
d) A lyophilized baking composition is provided comprising wheat flour gluten and water as frozen residue.

The microorganism used in the present invention, namely Lactobacillus San Francisco, is known as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3.734.743 and U.S. Pat. No. 3.891.773. U, S, Department
of Agriculture Northern Regional Research Laboratory I. Lee (the U. S.

Department of Agriculture
, Northern Regi-onal Re5e
It is deposited in the archival culture collection of the Arch Laboratory, Peoria, IL, 61604 under the following accession number:

Strain B: NRrn, B-3932 (ATCC2
7652) Strain C: NRRL B-3933 Strain L: NRRL B-3934 (ATCC27
651) Strain T: NRRL B-3935 (AT
CC27653) Frozen bread-making composition is produced by inoculating a suspension of unpasteurized wheat flour and monosalt water with a natural sponge containing Lactobacillus sanfrancisco, and then inoculating the inoculated suspension with an effective concentration of Viable bacteria
ia), cooling the growth suspension, adding at least one stabilizer for the cultured bacteria, freezing the stabilized suspension, and freezing the frozen product. produced by the method of the invention, which includes drying.

The novel compositions produced are commercially available, flash-frozen on a very small scale in liquid nitrogen (approximately -300'F) or dry ice-solvent mixtures (approximately -110'F) using sterile pure culture methods. Unlike the frozen or freeze-dried Lactobacillus San Francisco starter, it is suitable for industrial production.

Additionally, the composition can be distributed and maintained at moderate temperatures (+35°F to +55°F) for several months without significant loss of activity.

In contrast, conventional frozen compositions must be distributed in dry ice or liquid nitrogen and stored in special freezing equipment at -40°F or below.

Because the compositions of the present invention are free-flowing powders, they can be conveniently and safely used by bakers without the need for technical skill to avoid thawing damage.

This novel composition of the invention has an unexpectedly high activity compared to conventional frozen or freeze-dried Lactobacillus San Francisco preparations, and when introduced into the flour system at the initial stage of the baking operation. The number of viable and fully active cells of Lactobacillus sanfrancisco increases by 10 to 25 times even before the start of growth when using conventional commercially available Lactobacillus sanfrancisco preparations.

These shorter lag times and much lower manufacturing costs save at least one step in bread or other baked goods applications, unlike traditional commercially frozen or freeze-dried preparations. can do.

Unlike the case of conventional commercial preparations, the composition of the present invention:
It contains sufficient lactic acid and acetic acid by itself so that the addition of synthetic acids is not required under the conditions of use in baking.

A preferred seed or inoculum of Lactobacillus San Francisco is a regular mother sponge routinely used by sourdough French bread manufacturers in San Francisco, which has a high bacterial count (1-3 x 109/g). Natural strains that are closely related (but not identical) to San Francisco and smaller numbers (approximately 1.5 to 3 x 107
7 g) of sourdough yeast (T. holmii), the presence of which is preferred and constitutes a desired embodiment of the invention.

The presence of Sourdough I. and Lactobacillus San Francisco in the wheat flour system suppresses the growth of contaminating bacteria and eliminates the need for sanitary considerations such as sterilization.

Since the activity of sourdough yeast cells is destroyed by freeze drying, this yeast cannot be a component of the final product of the present invention.

The mother sponge is a source of Lactobacillus San Francisco and also provides a unique growth-promoting substance, which is carried into the final product and produces lactic acid and acetic acid by itself. automatically adjusts the flour slurry medium under desired conditions to an optimal initial pH (5,
4±0.2).

In practice, the freshly prepared (regenerated) mother sponge has a pH of 3.9 to 4.1 (preferably 3.95 to 4).
．． 05) to 76-83°F (preferably 80-8°F)
Grown at temperatures of 2'F).

At this point, the bacteria are mostly in the late logarithmic growth stage, which is desirable for seed provision.

However, a fully grown mother sponge can be grown for an additional 4 to 40 minutes without significantly increasing its seed value.
It may be held at 55°F for 6 hours.

Cultivation at high temperatures, such as 86-9 FF, promotes rapid growth of Lactobacillus San Francisco;
High temperature cultivation is not recommended if the bacteria pass through the terminal logarithmic stage too quickly for a reliable system.

The lyophilized product obtained by using diluted, fully grown mother sponges that are readily available has an activity that is only 10 to 1 times lower than the equivalent product obtained by the method of the present invention. /40, the fully grown gluten in the mother sponge may interfere with the effectiveness (protective power) of the flour system and stabilizers in the freeze-drying process;
It is clear that even if it does not interfere, it does not contribute to improving the protection power.

The gluten in the liquid flour slurry culture cannot be grown and therefore is not subjected to growth treatment prior to the freeze-drying process.

A liquid mother sponge is obtained by adding a very large proportion of water to a normal mother sponge.

That is, the mother sponge has a flour/water ratio of about 170.
．． 45 heavy dough, whereas the liquid mother sponge used as the growth medium in the method of the present invention is
The flour/water ratio is 1/1 to 172.5.

This liquid sponge is prepared using a mother sponge as an inoculum and made permanent by transferring directly from liquid sponge to liquid sponge.

pH 5, when the total flour concentration in the new liquid sponge derived from an already fully grown liquid sponge is about 5-15% by weight (preferably 10-12% by weight);
The required initial acidification to 4±0.2 is automatically achieved;
Massive inoculation of Lactobacillus San Francisco and Sourdoughweed I.
ior) to provide the desired protection against growing contaminants.

Liquid sponges as a species are dangerous when handled by unskilled personnel, require special additional equipment, and require special consideration.

The product of the present invention is used as a seed and surprisingly shows substantially the same values as the mother sponge in terms of activity and recovery of Lactobacillus sanfrancisco after freeze-drying, thus demonstrating the advantages of the mother sponge. This suggests that many ukes have been passed down.

Since the lyophilized product of the invention used as seed does not contain sourdough yeast, the safety factor inherent in the use of mother sponge is naturally reduced.

Although research cultures of Lactobacillus sanfrancisco may be used to inoculate the flour slurry media of the present invention, the final product thus prepared may not currently have similar activity. It has become clear.

Although commercially available lyophilized or frozen cultures may be used as seeds for the flour slurry medium of the present invention, they are expensive and require artificial acidification for initial pH adjustment.

Furthermore, commercially available cultures have extremely low activity and therefore require long-term cultivation.

Additionally, the use of commercial cultures as seeds may provide comparable counts for the final lyophilized product;
The activity of the cells obtained is significantly weaker.

Natural flour substrate for Lactobacillus San Francisco,
That is, mother sponge and bread dough cannot be rapidly frozen due to their viscosity, and slow freezing will significantly impair the survival of bacteria in the system, so they cannot be directly freeze-dried.

Furthermore, when dried, these become hard lumps like rocks, so it is necessary to crush them violently to make the product into powder.
Such comminution generates heat and further damages the product.

It is also possible to dilute the mother sponge with water to achieve the desired consistency for freeze-drying, but this method also does not work.

On the other hand, when preparing a more dilute flour slurry medium for inoculation and growth, if the flour is excessively diluted to improve freeze-drying properties, the nutrients necessary for growth will also be diluted and the growth rate will be reduced. There is a possibility that it will be significantly reduced.

Therefore, a feature of the present invention is the selection of an optimal range of flour/water ratios that simultaneously achieves outstanding growth and freeze-drying properties.

In the present invention, a flour-water culture with a ratio of 1/1 to 172.5 is generally used, especially 171.5 to 172.
．． A range of 5 is preferred, but the choice will depend on the type of equipment for preparing the slurry, stirring it if necessary, and controlling the temperature.

More dilute wheat concentrations may be used when combined with other suitable nutrients.

Given the same handling factors, it is better to use a highly concentrated slurry that will give the highest quality lyophilized product in order to minimize lyophilization costs.

The 1/1 flour culture must be diluted for successful freeze-drying, otherwise the count and activity of Lactobacillus sanfrancisco will be significantly reduced or a hard powder will form which is extremely difficult to powder. A product is produced.

Just before freeze-drying the culture solution, dilute it from 1/1 to 172.5,
When a stabilizer is added, a product is obtained that is comparable in count and activity to that obtained using 172.5 Thriller used directly as a culture.

The most commonly used suspension is 172.5,
This needs to be stirred gently to keep the flour suspended and the final product homogeneous.

An unexpected advantage of the present invention is that the yield of Lactobacillus sanfrancisco cells obtained using slurry cultures is almost twice that obtained in the mother sponge on a wheat flour basis (on a dry matter basis). This can be mentioned.

The flour useful in the present invention is one suitable for making bread and contains amylase and free amino acids, which are essential for the formation of maltose required for the rapid growth of Rough I. Bacillus San Francisco. A certain amount of starch is present.

High gluten (high protein) flours are also preferred; the use of low protein flours or wheat gluten is not precluded.

In the case of the flour slurry cultures of the present invention, relatively high levels of inoculation are required for process safety and reproducibility, and initial acidification is required to minimize competition with contaminating bacteria. The reason is that this wheat flour system is not suitable for sterilization.

A preferred inoculum provides an initial count of about 5 x 107 to 2 x 10''7 mg and is acidified with normal ratios of lactic acid and acetic acid to give an initial pH of about 5.3 to 5.6.

These matters apply to the initial flour slurry culture (flour/
When water-172,5) is prepared with flour derived from the inoculum to a flour content of approximately 10-12%,
This is simultaneously achieved with a flour-based inoculum, such as a mother sponge, a liquid sponge or slurry, or a lyophilized product of the invention.

Then, when transferring from liquid slurry to liquid slurry with higher acid concentration and bacterial density, only about 6% of the flour needs to be transferred from the previous step.

Degree of inoculation or transfer of flour transferred from the previous process (expressed as a percentage).

) proved to be an extremely helpful guide for making the necessary pH adjustments.

Regarding the weight percentage of inoculum for liquid slurry preparation, approximately 5.4% of the seeds of the mother sponge or liquid sponge or 3.8% of the seeds of the desired lyophilized product are given, and these inoculum levels give 5. Desired initial measurements in the range x107 to 2 x108/g are given.

Although 86°F is considered the optimum temperature for growing Lactobacillus San Francisco, approximately 80°
A growth temperature of 77-83 degrees Fahrenheit (77-83 degrees Fahrenheit) is preferred6 because approximately 80 degrees Fahrenheit makes the culture more stable during the final growth step for holding and lyophilization.

Selected growth points (pH 3, 70-3.85-L flour-water solution 2. to stabilize cells before freeze-drying)
It is also part of the present invention to cool the stabilizer solids or solution safely at a temperature of approximately 55° F., preferably to about 55° F. It is also advantageous in that pre-cooling conditions are achieved before freeze-drying, accelerating the rate of freezing.

In commercial cultures of lactic acid bacteria, KOH1NH is added during growth.
It is a common practice to add 40H or other alkalis, and the addition of these alkalis lowers the pH of the culture to 5.
．． 5 to 7.0 to promote more vigorous growth by neutralizing other harmful effects of the resulting metabolic acids.

However, in the case of the present invention, neutralization during or after growth is not only unnecessary but also undesirable from the standpoint of cell recovery and the activity of the final lyophilized product.

Additionally, since sterilization of flour media cannot be achieved, it is considered another advantage of the present invention to produce metabolic acids, particularly acetic acid, that are more tolerated by Lactobacillus San Francisco than by most contaminants.

In the San Francisco bakery, salt is not used in normal mother sponge formulations, but salt is added to the aqueous phase at a concentration of 0.8 to 3.0%, especially 0.8 to 0.9%. is advantageous in the flour slurry culture of the present invention.

Although the above concentration of salt has only a slight positive effect on increasing the growth rate of Lactobacillus San Francisco,
The growth rate of sourdough weasel (T, holmii) is significantly increased, resulting in process safety.

In the commercial production of bacterial starter cultures, it is common practice to separate and wash the cells from the growth medium prior to stabilization for freezing or lyophilization, since growth metabolic products are This is because treatment is thought to have a harmful effect on these bacteria.

However, in the present invention, factors in the flour vehicle were found to have a beneficial effect on Lactobacillus San Francisco where they had a detrimental effect.

That is, according to the present invention, Lactobacillus sanfrancisco cells are not separated from the flour slurry medium, but the stabilizer is added directly to it.

Since neutralization during growth is not preferred in the present invention, p
The critical end point of the culture is determined by H measurement, at which point cooling is initiated.

The range of flour slurries used in the present invention may require modifications to the preparation, holding, cooling, etc. equipment, which is not commonly practiced in the baking industry for dough and slurry preparation. Therefore, it does not form part of the present invention.

The addition of a stabilizer generally improves the recovery of viable Lactobacillus sanfrancisco bacteria compared to that obtained by freeze-drying without the addition of a stabilizer.

When lyophilizing lactic acid bacteria cultures, the most commonly used stabilizer, non-fat milk solids (NFMS), is used at a concentration of 2.0-2.5% (stabilizer solids in the final slurry). The maximum stabilizing effect is obtained at a level of (%).

However, unexpectedly, NFM
Lactose (with approximately 52% NFMS) when compared with the optimal level of S (2.5%).

) and other sugars, maltose are better than NFMS as stabilizers.
better than.

Monona I, Rium Glutamer I, Twee
Other conventional stabilizers such as n) 80 can also be used alone or in combination, but these are surprisingly less preferred than NFMS and are not only worthless but even harmful when used in combination with NFMS.

In the present invention, the amount of stabilizer added is expressed as the weight percent of stabilizer solids in the final stabilizer-containing slurry before lyophilization.

The stabilizer solid concentration in the final lyophilized product is approximately 3.5 to 3.7 times the concentration in the slurry due to the concentration effect of drying, but this concentration factor It varies slightly with the concentration of agent solids and the flour/water ratio in the culture slurry.

The stabilizer solids may be added as a solid or as a diluted or concentrated aqueous solution or suspension depending on the dispersity or solubility of the stabilizer and the desired viscosity of the final slurry.

In order to reduce the freeze-drying cost I-, it is preferred to add as high a concentration of stabilizer as possible without adversely affecting the processing properties and processing time.

When maltose was added at a concentration of 6% to flour-water slurry (1/2.5) as a solid or a 50% or 25% solution, the number of viable bacteria counted was 1.4 x 109/g and 1.3, respectively.
x 1097 g, 1.5 x 109/g (stabilizer-free basis), resulting in products of essentially the same quality, but the stabilizer solids content in the final product is 18.9.19. 9
．． 22.4%, which means that the concentration factor is 3
．． 15.3.33.3.73.

It is generally preferred that the stabilizer solution is added just before lyophilization, ie at the end of the holding period after the growth phase is completed.

Unlike in the production of existing pure culture starter cultures, it is not necessary to sterilize the stabilizer solutions or suspensions used in the present invention, and it is not necessary to sterilize the stabilizer solutions or suspensions used in the present invention. It has no meaning if it is an ingredient.

The stabilizing effect of sweet whey solids (SWS) containing about 73% rough I-su (and about 12% protein) improves the SWS to about 8%, reducing the amount of raw material present before lyophilization. 30-40% of the fungal cells were recovered, representing an almost 40-50 times improvement over that obtained by freeze-drying flour slurry cultures without the addition of stabilizers. and optimal, level (2,5%) of NF
This represents an improvement of about 10 times over what can be achieved with WS.

Residual cells (proliferation or acid production rate) obtained using even higher levels of SWS are similar to activated paper, with substantial acid development and presumed growth occurring within 3↓ hours in experiments. As is clear from the fact that it has excellent activity.

SWS and other disaccharides such as sucrose,
In the case of dextrose and maltose, the concentration is approximately 8
% and its effect is enhanced,
The fact that the effectiveness of NFMS decreases when its concentration exceeds 2.5% indicates that the latter protein-based species
This suggests that the use of high concentrations of NFMS as a lactose source should be avoided, as it is harmful when added to flour systems.

Previous studies have not revealed that monosaccharides are significantly inferior to disaccharides as stabilizers for freeze-dried lactic acid bacteria, but in the flour slurry system of the present invention, disaccharides (Maru I-su, This is surprising as it was found that lactose (or SWS and sucrose) was about 10 times more effective than the monosaccharides tested (glyose, galactose).

Since combining stabilizers is conventional practice, commonly used stabilizers such as NFMS or MSG were used in combination with a disaccharide (maltose) stabilizer (Example 21). It is interesting to note that sometimes it does not bring any benefit, but rather is harmful.

Preferably, the final slurry contains about 6% to about 8% stabilizer solids; Stabilizers are added and normal freezing conditions (described below) are carried out.

) The table below shows the results that are considered to be optimal.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive inoculum and medium for the mass production of bread during the freezing process at temperatures between -10 and -25°F using conventional freezing equipment used to freeze a variety of food products. It lies in perfect use.

A -25° F. cryo-storage room is used with sufficient air circulation to provide temperature control.

Typical conditions of -10 to -25°F refer to the upper limit of the variable temperature used when the layer thickness is adequate (174 to 378 inches).

Employing rapid freezing conditions can improve bacterial recovery and activity, but this is not essential to the practice of the invention.

Although the vacuum drying step of freeze-drying is not new,
It is employed when favorable conditions are desired to obtain live bacterial products with excellent activity and stability.

As conditions for producing the composition of the present invention, the moisture content in the final product is 4% or less (2% or less is preferable).

) and the final product temperature reached during drying is kept to a minimum, below 80°F (preferably below 70°F).

). 200 microns or less (preferably 100 microns or less) while still being able to provide rapid evacuation sufficient to suppress initial thawing of the frozen flour slurry product.

) A vacuum drying system is used that is capable of maintaining a vacuum.

Of course, higher vacuum levels allow lower final product temperatures to reach the desired moisture content of approximately 2%.

A low moisture content of the product (below about 4%, especially 2%) is essential to maintain the stability of the bacteria in the product during subsequent storage and distribution of the product.

One reason for freeze-drying is that it maintains the water content in the product at a critical level.

Bacteria in the drying product are unstable at high temperatures, especially in later stages, so finish temperatures should be kept as low as possible to maintain maximum quality in the initial product (
(approximately 70'F) is important.

Lactic acid and acetic acid are available from Applied Microbiology (A
pplied Microbiol, Volume 23, 1
153-1159 (1972), in and from two different liquid flour slurry cultures, by the method described in the article "Factors Influencing Organic Acid Production by Sourdough (Zan Francisco) Bacteria", pp. 153-1159 (1972). detected in lyophilized products.

The average retention rate of these acids after lyophilization is 8 for lactic acid.
5% and 57% for acetic acid, the latter acid having a lower value because it is more volatile.

Substantial amount (majority or 50% or more) of these naturally fermented acids
The fact that the bacteria are retained during freeze-drying gives the products of the invention novel characteristics and adds convenience and safety to the baking process using the products of the invention. .

This acid retention rate becomes even more important when considering the fact that the acid yield per unit weight of flour in flour slurry cultures is almost twice that in the mother sponge or dough. .

An extremely useful advantage for bakers provided by the present invention is that large quantities can be stored at or above freezing temperatures for a reasonable period of time (several months), whereas existing commercially available frozen products It must be transported in small quantities in liquid nitrogen or dry ice, and even in bakery factories,
Must be stored in a custom-built freezer below 0°F.

Stability testing of the products of the present invention revealed that the products of the present invention were tested for at least 10 weeks (10 weeks before testing was stopped).

) It was confirmed that the number of viable bacteria and the activity were maintained extremely well even when the temperature was maintained at 37-55°F.

As expected, activity decreased slightly more rapidly than viable counts, which implies a slightly longer lag time during the initial application step in baking.

Appropriate packaging that does not allow moisture to pass through is preferred for product distribution.

The products of the present invention are superior to commercially available Lactobacillus San Francisco preparations in terms of faster growth, faster acid production, shorter lag period, etc.

Since the product of the present invention has excellent activity as described above, it has the following advantages.

(1) Cells are grown in natural flour culture medium (culture h
abi-tat), thereby minimizing damage or impact during processing.

(2) When using mother sponge as a seed or inoculum, many strains closely related to Lactobacillus San Francisco are used, so natural selection of excellent strains that can withstand freeze-drying becomes possible.

(3) Growth of Lactobacillus San Francisco is promoted by non-microbial factors when transferred from a wheat flour system.

The higher the concentration of the flour-based culture and the greater the influence of non-microbial stimulating factors, the greater the activity of the cells.

Artificial gravy growth media (e.g. fresh yeast extract, maltose, pyrimidine or Tween 8)
This non-microbial stimulant added to the wheat flour culture product, since none of the major nutrients developed for 0) has a stimulatory effect as described in 1-, and is even harmful. This constitutes another feature of the product of the invention.

Example 1 A slurry consisting of the ingredients listed above was blended at a gentle speed in a 5 quart Waring blender, transferred to three 212 Erlenmeyer flasks and heated to 80-82°F with gentle agitation. It was cultured at a temperature of

After 8 hours, the pH decreased from 5.50 to 3.84, so
The flask was transferred to a 55°F storage incubator and held there for an additional 21/2 hours, and the pH further decreased to 3.74.

A stabilizer solution (55°F) containing 220g of sui-to whey solids (6% by weight of the final stabilizer-containing slurry) in 660g of water was blended with the slurry at 55°F.
2000 ml of the final slurry of -15---20°
Pouring into stainless steel trays (approximately 35 x 12 inches) that had been pre-chilled in a plasto-freezer operated at F produced layers between 1/4 and 378 inches thick.

The air inflow rate into the freezer to +1 was 500 linear feet 1-7 minutes.

115 after being placed in the Plast Freezer for approximately 45 minutes.
The trays were sent to a freeze dryer with the product at 50°F and dried for 18 hours under a 50-100 micron vacuum, but the shel-ves were
Warmed to 0°F.

The product is easily removed from the tray and passed through a low speed Fitz mill, optionally using a screen with 0.635 inch diameter holes, to yield a free flowing, non-splattered powder.

Residence time in the mill was essentially zero, there was little increase in temperature of the product due to powdering (1°F or less), and there was no loss of viable counts.

-[-The following test was revealed6
(a) The effectiveness of the flour medium and natural inoculum in promoting the growth of Lactobacillus sanfrancisco was ensured.

(b) Using the selected stabilizers, high rates of viable bacteria were recovered without performing fludge freezing or separating the cells from the flour growth medium.

(c) The final starter culture preparation (product of the invention) is superior in terms of lag time and growth rate.

It has also been found that the freeze-drying process is of value due to the reduction of sour weeds l□T, holmii.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Lactobacillus sanfrancisco present in the wheat flour culture medium which is subjected to culture conditions suitable for the growth of the following bacteria before freeze-drying, and which is substantially present during the culture period with Lactobacillus San Francisco recovered after freeze-drying. Approximately 4% by weight of uncooked flour gluten
with residual water of at least about 20% after freeze-drying.
The weight ratio of flour/water in the culture medium before freeze-drying was about 1/1 to 172.5, and the freeze-drying was performed to improve the recovery rate of Lactobacillus sanfrancisco live bacteria. A lyophilized baking composition, wherein said culture medium contains at least about 6% by weight of at least one disaccharide stabilizer. 2. The freeze-dried bread-making composition according to claim 1, wherein the flour is a high-gluten flour. 3 The weight ratio of flour/water in the culture medium before freeze-drying is 1.
71.5 to 272.5, the lyophilized bread-making composition according to claim 2. 4 - The lyophilized product of claim 2, wherein said culture medium is characterized by about 0.8 to 3.0% by weight of thorium chloride, based on the water of the culture before lyophilization. Composition for bread. 5. A lyophilized baking composition according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains at least one carbhydrole-1 stabilizer having a substantial amount of maltose or lactose. 6. The lyophilized bread-making composition according to claim 5, wherein the stabilizer is sweet whey solids. 7. The lyophilized baking composition of claim 5, wherein said stabilizer is present in an amount of about 6-8% by weight based on the culture medium before lyophilization. 8. A lyophilized baking composition according to claim 1, wherein the Lactobacillus sanfrancisco is provided in the culture by the presence of a natural sponge. 9 ” 1. Sponge contains water 1 in the culture medium before freeze-drying.
9. The lyophilized baking composition of claim 8, wherein the lyophilized baking composition is present in an amount sufficient to provide an initial bacterial count of about 5 x 108 per me. 10. The lyophilized baking composition of claim 1, wherein the culture medium initially contains sufficient lactic acid and acetic acid to bring the pH to about 5.3-5.6. 11. The lyophilized baking composition of claim 10, wherein most of the lactic acid and acetic acid are present after lyophilization. 12. The lyophilized flour culture medium of claim 1, wherein the flour culture medium has a count of at least about 5 x 106 initial viable Lactobacillus sanfrancisco per gram of culture medium before being subjected to the culture conditions. A composition for baking. 13. The lyophilized baking composition of claim 12, wherein the Lactobacillus San Francisco initial count is at least about 5 x 10 to 2 x 10''. 14 The stabilizer is maltose, A lyophilized bread making composition according to claim 1, wherein the stabilizer is at least one selected from lactose and sucrose.15 The stabilizer is based on the weight of the final flour culture before lyophilization. 16. The lyophilized baking composition of claim 1, wherein the composition is present in an amount of about 7.5%. 317. The freeze-dried bread-making composition of claim 1, wherein the freeze-dried bread-making composition of claim 1 has a residual moisture of about 2% by weight. .