Читать книгу Bread Matters: The sorry state of modern bread and a definitive guide to baking your own - Andrew Whitley - Страница 29

In addition to their many other properties, lactic acid bacteria generate antimicrobial substances, or ‘bacteriocins’, that play an important role in food safety⁷. ‘Rope’ is the name given to the spoilage, caused by strains of Bacillus bacteria, that occurs in bread, usually in warm, humid weather. The word ‘ropy’ comes from this condition, and eating ropy bread can make people ill⁸. Rope is kept at bay in modern baking by strict hygiene, temperature control and ultimately with chemical preservatives such as calcium propionate, which may be a carcinogen. But according to recent studies, lactic acid bacteria typically found in wheat and rye sourdoughs are capable of destroying the Bacillus species responsible⁹. So, long-fermented breads are much less likely to suffer from rope. Furthermore, the lactic and acetic acids that build up as the lactic acid bacteria work act as a natural preservative (in the sense of mould inhibitor) and thus obviate the need for chemicals.