Here, bread does not yet exist, but ideas are born
Two separate laboratories, each with a specific role, in daily dialogue: one studies life at the microbial level, the other brings it into bread.
Microbiology laboratory
A bioreactor, centrifuge, freeze dryer, -80°C freezer, microscopes, incubators, laminar flow cabinets: equipment typically found in biotechnology research centres – within a bakery ingredients company.
Here, the ingredient does not yet exist, but the science that will make it possible does. The microbiology laboratory isolates lactic acid bacteria from sourdough, studies their metabolic characteristics, selects the best strains and keeps them viable through microencapsulation.
ALE – ADAPTIVE LABORATORY EVOLUTION
We drive microbial evolution in the laboratory
ALE is the experimental approach we use to guide the evolution of microorganisms under controlled conditions. This methodology allows us to accelerate the natural evolutionary processes that microorganisms undergo and obtain microbial strains with the desired characteristics in much less time.
Il Granaio delle Idee is also experimenting with this technology through its partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks, a US company specialising in biotech technologies for the food, biomedical and environmental sectors, with proprietary high-throughput ALE microevolution technologies that can further accelerate the microevolution process.
Read the press release →
Baking laboratory
The heart of research and development: this is where the formulations developed by the Microbiology Laboratory are put to the test. Food technologists and baking technicians work every day with state-of-the-art equipment to test new ingredients and mixes, monitor shelf life and validate results before products reach customers.