Sourdough fermentation and selenium in flatbread
What it found
In lab tests, sourdough fermentation of selenium-enriched flatbread turned more of the selenium into organic forms and the digested bread protected cultured liver cells from oxidative damage.
The work used simulated digestion and human cells, not people.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Cell damage protection
In cultured human liver cells, the digested sourdough flatbread with selenium reduced signs of oxidative damage. It was the most effective at lowering LDH release and preventing a rise in TBARS.
Antioxidant enzymes
Selenium supplementation increased GPx activity in the cells. The sourdough flatbread with selenium was the most active, and it also prevented the loss of TrxR activity during oxidative stress.
Other findings
Selenium in bread
Using selenium-enriched flour raised the total selenium in the flatbread. The type of fermentation did not change the total amount.
Selenium release
About 92% of the selenium was released from the bread during simulated digestion, for both selenium-enriched breads.
Organic selenium form
Sourdough fermentation converted much of the inorganic selenium into organic forms, mainly selenomethionine. Conventional fermentation did not do this.
Antioxidant capacity
The digested sourdough flatbreads had higher total antioxidant capacity than the conventionally fermented ones, regardless of the flour used.
What the authors conclude
“The present study suggests that selenium-rich, sourdough-fermented bakery products show promise for improving human selenium nutrition whenever necessary.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say sourdough fermentation can improve selenium-enriched bakery products by turning inorganic selenium into organic forms.
- They conclude that selenium-enriched, sourdough-fermented flatbread counteracts oxidative damage in cultured cells.
- They call for further studies in living animals or people to confirm the antioxidant effect.
How it was done
In several world regions, people do not get enough selenium from their diet. The authors wanted to see if sourdough fermentation could convert inorganic selenium in flour into organic forms, which the body uses better.
They made four types of Italian flatbread (piadina) using control or selenium-enriched flour, each with either conventional yeast fermentation or sourdough fermentation. The breads were put through simulated human digestion, and the digested liquid was added to cultured human liver cells exposed to oxidative stress.
What it can’t tell you
- This study used simulated digestion and cultured cells, not people. It cannot show what happens in the human body.
- The cells were exposed to digested bread extracts in a lab dish, so the results may not reflect real digestion and absorption.
- The study did not measure long-term health effects or selenium status in people.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Regione Emilia-Romagna (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funding sponsors had no role in the design of the study, in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.
- Authors work at
- University of Bologna, Italy; Istituto Superiore di Sanità-Italian National Institute of Health, Italy
The paper
- Title
- Sourdough Fermentation Favorably Influences Selenium Biotransformation and the Biological Effects of Flatbread
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Di Nunzio M, Bordoni A, Aureli F, Cubadda F, Gianotti A (2018). Sourdough Fermentation Favorably Influences Selenium Biotransformation and the Biological Effects of Flatbread. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu10121898Free full textPubMed 30513976DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error