Tip Probiotics Sourdough Bread and ACV Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Diet & Fat LossEating Tip Probiotics Sourdough Bread and ACV Are certain types of bread chockfull of probiotics Are all types of apple cider vinegar good for you Answers here by TC Luoma January 30, 2019April 5, 2021 Tags Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Probiotics, Tips Here's a good question sent to us via our Instagram page: "How do probiotics survive the baking process in sourdough bread and how would the ones in apple cider vinegar stay alive unrefrigerated?" The probiotics don't survive the baking process. Sourdough is made with a probiotic starter that contains beneficial lactobacilli, but once you stick the raw bread loaves into the oven, you in effect sterilize them, much the same as pasteurization does to milk. That doesn't mean the bread isn't a worthy food. Before baking, the bacteria from the starter break down the gluten in the bread into its constituent amino acids (for those that wring their pearls over gluten). Likewise, the bacteria produce acetic, propionic, and lactic acid, all of which reduce the availability of some of the starches to your digestive system, thereby lowering the bread's glycemic index. Lastly, the bacteria facilitates the breakdown of phytic acid in the bread, thus freeing up the bread's nutrients for digestion. But as far as the finished product being a probiotic that benefits gut health? Nope. But it's a common misconception. And What About ACV We also have to look at apple cider vinegar through the same microbiological lens. Most apple cider vinegar is, again, the product of a probiotic process; the bacteria works on the sugars found in apples and produced acetic acid, aka vinegar. Most apple cider vinegars in the stores, however, are filtered and pasteurized – they've had all the bacteria removed or killed. Consequently, they don't need refrigeration. This type of apple cider vinegar is still useful in that taking a couple of tablespoons before a meal improves post-meal blood sugar readings by a significant amount. Things are different with the unpasteurized version. It contains what purveyors of ACV call "the mother," which are the strands of protein, enzymes, and bacteria that give the product its murky appearance. Since the unpasteurized version contains these bacteria, it's thought by some to be a probiotic, but in truth, the bacteria contained in ACV have not, as of yet, been shown to survive GI transit. Regardless, ACV with the mother does appear to be beneficial to existing bacteria, along with aiding in the digestion of proteins and fats (by stimulating the release of stomach acid). This is the kind that should be stored in the refrigerator, as the low temperature will bring bacterial metabolism to a standstill, which is good. If you kept it at room temperature, the bacteria would continue to grow and multiply and "eat up" all the substrate in the vinegar until eventually they'd run out of food and die, ruining the apple cider vinegar in the process. So, if you buy a bottle of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, keep it in the fridge after opening it. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Diet & Fat Loss Tip Understand the Law of Metabolic Demand Stop using the word "weight" and get smarter about calories. This will help. Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips Dr Jade Teta March 8 Eating The 3 Rookie Diet Problems Holding You Back To transform your body, you'll need to avoid the three most common diet problems. Do that and almost everything else will fall into place. Feeding the Ideal Body Tanner Shuck October 21 Eating Tip Three Rules for Dietary Fat Stay lean and improve your health. Follow this solid advice on dietary fat. Diet Strategy, Good Fats, Nutrition & Supplements, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Tips Chris Albert August 17 Diet & Fat Loss Dieting Disasters The most common causes of diet failure and how to avoid the mistakes. Check this out. Diet Strategy, Dietary Myth Busting, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements Tony Gentilcore January 1