Get involved and be part of an international community advancing fermented food research. Fill in the Fermenter´s survey and stay up-to-date on the Soudrough Citizen project on our blog.
FAQ Citizen Science
At the heart of HealthFerm lies a citizen science project that aims to advance the development of innovative and healthy fermented foods. The citizen science project aims to form a network of researchers, citizen scientists, artisans and food industry professionals to document the plant-based fermented food biodiversity in Europe.
Fermented foods are present in our daily diet and in different food cultures: from (sourdough) bread to beer, wine, pickles, sauerkraut, miso, kombucha and many more!
Participate in our questionnaire on the attitude of fermenters towards plant-based fermented foods!
The aim of this questionnaire is to gather data about your attitudes, values, food lifestyle, food choice motives, frequency of consumption of different foods as well as your views about different raw materials and the role of fermentation in achieving a sustainable future of food. This European fermenter perspective will be used to inform the scientific community and policymakers about the needed frameworks to advance and support at best the dietary transition. In this part of the project we want to collect this information through a short questionnaire which takes approximately 8-10 minutes.
Participation in the HealthFerm citizen science project on sourdough
Sourdough is the most commonly at-home fermented food and it contains a lot of interesting microorganisms. Thus, sourdough forms the prime food product to sample in our large-scale citizen science project.
Have you ever wondered what is going on in your sourdough?
Did you ever follow a recipe and realise your sourdough rises much faster or slower than indicated? Does your bread taste more or less sour than store-bought sourdough bread? Does your sourdough behave differently throughout the year? There are many factors that influence the properties of a sourdough. Together, we can find out why your sourdough behaves the way it does and how it compares to hundreds of other sourdoughs.
What can we find out about your sourdough?
Together, we can explore and uncover the fascinating world of microorganisms living in your sourdough. By analyzing your responses to the sourdough questionnaire(s) about your sourdough practices, we hope to understand how these microorganisms colonise your sourdough and discover what makes your sourdough unique and special. Moreover, we will provide you with insights into how your sourdough compares to the sourdough of other participants, offering a broader perspective on this delicious craft. Over around 12 months, we collected not only a lot of information about your sourdough maintenance practices, but also many physical sourdough samples from all over Europe! Both the analyses of your indications in the surveys and your samples are currently ongoing. Stay tuned for more insights soon, and do not forget to check out our Blog for intermediate updates. Happy kneading!