Sourdough research (IMAGE) Penn State Caption Maya Tanikawa-Brown, left, a Penn State Summer Research Opportunities Program scholar, and food science graduate student Ashley Ohstrom examine sourdough fermentations. They are assessing the activity of the sourdough cultures by observing dough rise and bubble formation. Each of these sourdoughs comprise a diverse array of fungi and bacteria species, contributing to the development of distinctive dough characteristics, such as appearance and smell, and ultimately, the creation of a unique sourdough bread. Credit Jillian Wesner/Penn State Usage Restrictions Credit must be given to the creator. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted. No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted. License CC BY-NC-ND Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.