FAQ

One of our goals at LabID is to democratize the science behind sourdough fermentation. We do so by offering our kit at the democratic price of €299. This includes the kit itself, of course, as well as the shipping (to and from), all the lab work, and the custom report filled with interesting data and findings about your sourdough's microbiome and how it compares to other sourdoughs. 

The time between ordering your kit and receiving your report in your dashboard on our website may differ from case to case. This is because we work with batches in our laboratory. In short, our DNA sequencing machine in the lab processes a number of sourdough samples at the same time. Without this approach, we would not be able to provide our service at a democratic price. In general, we strive to upload your report between 4 to 8 weeks after your order. The more orders there are, the faster we can deliver! 

It is important that you prepare your samples between 8 and 24 hours after a refreshment of the sourdough starter. Why? Because your starter will contain dominant, subdominant and satellite species (bacteria and yeasts). The longer a sourdough has not been refreshed, the more likely it is that the dominant species in your starter take over the microbiome, effectively 'pushing away' the satellite species. The benefits of preparing your sample within this time window is that we 1) analyze your sourdough starter in its 'ready to bake' state and 2) that we are able to correctly determine the biodiversity of your starter's microbiome. For starters that usually do not get refreshed for several weeks or months, we advise customers to refresh at least 3 days in a row, giving the satellite species the chance to resuscitate. 

Your report will be uploaded in your dashboard on our website and comes as a PDF document. An email will be sent to you when we upload your report. 

The instructions that come with the kit have been carefully crafted and tested over many months. By following the instructions, you ensure yourself that your samples arrive at our laboratory in great condition. Key for maintaining quality samples throughout the shipping process is the sourdough stabilizer. The stabilizer deactivates your sourdough sample, preventing further rising of the sourdough and preserving the DNA inside. 

It is possible to have up to 20 different yeasts and even up to 50 different bacterial species in your sourdough. A sourdough with such biodiversity would be very exceptional however. In most case, we tend to see between 2 and 6 bacterial species and 1 to 3 different yeasts, each playing their different roles in the sourdough's microbiome. Concluding, there may be billions of bacteria and millions of yeasts in your starter. 

Although it is possible to order the kit without a LabID account, we advise you to create an account. Users with accounts will be more up to date on our progress in the scientific field of fermentation and are in the know on interesting promotions that we launch every so often. Additionally, having a track record allows us to establish the microbial evolution of your sourdoughs. Once we have analyzed your sourdough's microbiota a first time, you will receive not only the 'microbial snapshot' on a next analysis but also an overview as to how the microbial composition in your sourdough is changing over time! 

Good question! Although it is not mandatory to answer the questions in the questionnaire, we strongly advise it because the information provided by you adds another peace to the puzzle. Specifically, we can generate new insights on the links between ingredients used, preparation processes and the microbiome. So in short, the more you tell us, the more we can tell you! 

Please follow below steps if you want to submit your sourdough for inclusion into the Sourdough Library in St. Vith, Belgium: 
1. Register your sourdough on www.questforsourdough.com
2. Get your LabID kit for a preliminary analysis of your starter's microbiome.
3. We will share the results of your starter's analysis with the Sourdough Librarian.
At this stage, it is up to the Sourdough Librarian to determine the result of your submission. The main criteria for inclusion into the Sourdough Library are:
1. The extent to which your starter's microbial biodiversity contributes to the biodiversity already present in the Sourdough Library 
2. The uniqueness of your starter's composition (specific type of flour used, special ingredients, etc.) that contributes to its distinctiveness. 
3. The narrative behind your starter. Sometimes the story behind a sourdough tells it all. 
4. The cultural heritage; country of origin, embracing the diverse global traditions and techniques in sourdough baking. 
5. The historical significance; the age of the sourdough, celebrating the tradition and longevity of bread-making. 

After having analyzed your starter, we store one sample in our freezer at -80°C for maximum 6 months. We do so as our partner, the sourdough librarian, may be interested in adding your sourdough to his famous Sourdough Library in the Sourdough Institute in St. Vith, Belgium. The main criterium for such decision is biodiversity; the more biodiverse your sourdough microbiome, the higher the odds for getting into the library! Samples are disposed of after six months. 

Today we only offer the kit. However, stay tuned for more as we are expanding the range of services in the near future! For example, by popular demand, we are working on adding a kit for fermented cocoa samples and a service to compare sourdough starters across locations and throughout the production process.