你一直在做的酵母可以幫助科學家

你一直在做的酵母可以幫助科學家

By the end of this pandemic, we'll all have one thing in common -- at some point during our isolation, we attempted to make sourdough.

到這次大流行結束時，我們所有人都有一個共同點，在我們隔離的某一時刻，我們試圖做酵母。

Whether we succeeded in making bread is beside the point. That sourdough starter could now advance the study of microbiology.

我們是否成功地做了面包無關緊要。這種酵母發(fā)酵劑現在可以促進微生物學的研究。

The Public Science Lab at North Carolina State University has capitalized on the sourdough craze, and with the help of amateur bakers who make and observe sourdough starters, scientists can learn more about the microbes that populate the living mixture.

北卡羅萊納州立大學的公共科學實驗室利用了酵母熱，在制作和觀察酵母發(fā)酵劑的業(yè)余面包師的幫助下，科學家可以更多地了解生活混合物中的微生物。

The mystery of sourdough

酵母的奧秘

Years before this pandemic, the Public Science Lab started the Global Sourdough Project, a citizen science initiative that studied how different types of flour and environments affected the microbes that inhabited the starter.

在這場大流行的幾年前，公共科學實驗室啟動了“全球酵母項目”，這是一個公民科學項目，研究不同種類的面粉和環(huán)境如何影響發(fā)酵劑中的微生物。

But what happens inside sourdough starter still mystifies scientists.

但是酵母發(fā)酵劑內部發(fā)生了什么仍然讓科學家們感到困惑。

Bakers create a sourdough starter -- a simple mix of flour and water -- for bacteria to move into. Somehow, they leaven the bread after a weeklong incubation period -- no yeast required, unlike other breads.

面包師制作了一種酵母發(fā)酵劑——一種簡單的面粉和水的混合物，讓細菌進入。不知道為什么，它們在一周的潛伏期后發(fā)酵成面包——不像其他面包，它們不需要酵母。

But why do certain microbes take up residence in certain starters, and how do they do what they do? Amateur bakers can't answer those questions with the naked eye, but to the Public Science Lab, their observations are a positive start.

但為什么某些微生物會寄居在某些發(fā)酵劑中呢?它們是如何起作用的呢?業(yè)余面包師無法用肉眼回答這些問題，但對公共科學實驗室來說，他們的觀察是一個積極的開端。

The recipe provided by the lab provided requires flour and dechlorinated water (so, filtered water). Amateur bakers are to dump 2 tablespoons of each into a jar and mix. And then begins the waiting.

實驗室提供的配方需要面粉和脫氯水(也就是過濾水)。業(yè)余的面包師把兩湯匙的面粉分分別倒進一個罐子里混合。然后開始等待。

After you've left your jar, covered with a paper towel and rubber band, in the sun for 24 hours, you've got to "feed" it every day. This means you scoop out a portion of the starter each day and add more flour and water. This feeds the hungry microbes.

當你用紙巾和橡皮筋把罐子放在太陽下24小時后，你必須每天給它“喂食”。這意味著你每天舀出一部分發(fā)酵劑，并加入更多的面粉和水。這為饑餓的微生物提供了食物。

You'll need to feed 15 times in total to complete their observations, so you'll leave your starter for over two weeks.

為了完成對它們的觀察，你總共需要喂食15次，所以你要把發(fā)酵劑放兩周以上。

Before you bake with your starter, the lab wants you to make some observations, like what your starter smells like and how high it rises.

在你用發(fā)酵劑烘焙之前，實驗室希望你做一些觀察，比如發(fā)酵劑聞起來是什么味道，發(fā)酵劑膨脹的高度。

When you're done, you'll submit your observations through an online form.

完成后，您將通過在線表單提交您的觀察結果。

Who would've thought you could contribute to science by baking.

誰會想到你可以通過烘焙來為科學做出貢獻。

It's no big deal if the bread doesn't turn out -- scientists can learn through your failure, too. Although, fresh bread would certainly be a plus.

如果失敗了也沒什么大不了的，科學家也可以從你的失敗中吸取教訓。不過，新鮮的面包肯定會是一個加分項。