Class: Different microbes have different effects on bread aromas and flavor; but how can we tell which microbes live in our own starters without sequencing them? In this workshop, Dr. Erin McKenney will share tools and results from citizen science research on sourdough starters from Raleigh and around the world, to help you describe how your starter smells and predict which microbes produced those aromas, taking into account the flour you use, your starter's age, and other factors (in addition to smell). Erin will bring her own starter and a starter from Raleigh's Boulted Bread to compare; feel free to bring your own starter as well! 

When/where: Saturday, April 22nd // 10:30 am - 12 pm // White Labs lab room 172 S Charlotte St. Asheville, NC 28801

Instructor: Dr Erin McKenney is the Director of Undergraduate Programs in Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University. Beyond the classroom, Erin studies how microbial communities form over time and how they adapt to their environments. For over a decade she has analyzed fecal samples from hundreds of animals in zoos and the wild, to learn how gut microbes affect health – and how humans can leverage or upset that balance. More recently, Erin has expanded her research to sourdough and other fermented foods that can be studied without laboratory equipment, using citizen science research to empower students of all ages and all over the world.