Yeast Versus Sourdough, A False Conflict
The rise in demand for sourdough baked goods and the commercial narratives around the health benefits of wild yeast does not mean that baker’s yeast is a lesser ingredient.
The past 10 years, and especially the pandemic ones, have seen a resurgence in a traditional way of baking bread, using wild yeast (sourdough) and adhering to slow proofing timelines. The result of this process is a heavier, crustier, more open crumb bread that satisfies both a crave for texture and one for a more complex taste.
Following the increase in demand, many ingredient makers developed sourdough starters that allows bakers to industrialize the production process and increase their yield while maintaining an artisanal feel to the final product.
Yeast producers, along with yeast-leavened baked goods makers, did not sit idle while the world fell in love again with sourdough and created better ingredients and products.
The Three Markets
The sourdough bread market size was valued at USD3.25bn in 2025 and is expected to grow to USD4.49bn by 2030, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.68%, according to the market research company Mordor Intelligence.
This growth is driven by increasing consumer preference for clean-label baked goods, growing scientific evidence supporting sourdough’s benefits in managing blood sugar levels, and its rising popularity in foodservice channels. Industrial bakers are expanding production by using freeze-dried starter technologies, while retail in-store bakeries are capitalizing on sourdough’s premium appeal to boost profit margins. Ingredient suppliers are focusing on research and development to improve fermentation techniques, particularly for gluten-free and functional food applications, which is creating new opportunities in the specialty nutrition segment. Europe continues to dominate the market due to its strong artisanal baking traditions and robust export capabilities. The global market remains moderately consolidated as leading multinational companies invest in fermentation expertise and technical support teams to strengthen their market position.
The sourdough bread is a small part of the much much larger bread market. The bread market’s current valuation stands at USD245.13bn in 2025 and is projected to reach USD296.04bn by 2030, translating into a steady 3.85% CAGR, according to Mordor Intelligence. Europe anchors demand with deeply rooted consumption habits, while Asia represents the fastest-growing geography as urban households purchase more packaged toast and single-serve rolls. Premiumisation remains a defining lens: high-protein formulas, gluten-free variants, and organic certification allow bakers to lift average selling prices even when volume gains taper in mature regions. Leading producers are also hedging wheat purchases and raising capital expenditure on cold-chain logistics to balance cost volatility with differentiation. Collectively, these moves show that the bread market is evolving from scale-only competition to a blend of efficiency, nutrition science, and supply-chain agility in the bread market.
While sourdough is only counted as its final product – bread and other baked goods -, baker’s yeast is also analysed as a different market because it is more established as an ingredient in itself.
The baker’s yeast market size stands at USD1.21bn in 2025 and is forecast to reach USD1.79bn by 2030, advancing at an 8.17% CAGR, also according to Mordor Intelligence. Growth momentum stems from the premiumization of everyday bread, quick-service restaurant expansion, and the rapid scale-up of precision-fermentation platforms that widen yeast functionality beyond leavening. Europe preserves leadership through deep artisan traditions and clean-label regulations, while Asia-Pacific contributes the largest incremental volume thanks to rising disposable incomes and urban lifestyles. Fresh/compressed formats remain the workhorse of industrial lines, yet liquid and cream variants gain favour as bakeries automate dosing and cold-chain logistics improve. Engineered Saccharomyces strains that deliver higher yields of vitamins, proteins, and bioactives are moving from pilot to commercial batches, opening new revenue streams for incumbents and start-ups. Overall, the baker’s yeast market continues to show resilience despite volatile molasses prices because bakers see yeast as a cost-effective path to clean labels, flavour complexity, and reliable dough performance.
In Search of the Perfect Sourdough Starter
One of the most important brands in commercial sourdough starter making is Puratos, global leader in bakery, patisserie and chocolate ingredients. The name is forever linked with sourdough because, before wild yeast was popular again, they created the Sourdough Library.
The Sourdough Library was founded in October 2013 in Saint-Vith, Belgium, and is the only facility in the world dedicated to housing sourdough cultures. The library is housed at the Puratos Center for Bread Flavour, with a mission to conserve and promote sourdoughs from around the world, to conduct research, and to ensure the survival of the various strains for future use. It currently has over 900 strains of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria recorded.
In 2024, they launched Sapore Lavida, the first completely traceable active sourdough produced in Belgium. The new ingredient is made exclusively with 100% wholewheat flour sourced from regenerative agriculture practices, enabling bakers across mainland Europe to meet growing demand for locally-produced, sustainably-sourced sourdough products. In all applications, Sapore Lavida offers a tangy flavor profile with fruity, balanced lactic and acetic notes, and it enhances fiber content in white bread too.
Sapore Lavida is an integral part of Puratos’s plan to create a more sustainable, regenerative future in food production. The company currently produces sourdoughs in twelve countries worldwide and is working on a broader sustainable farming strategy in the US, Australia, the UK, Italy and Turkey. The company also plans to extend its range of products made with regenerative ingredients, including a rye sourdough.
Another mark of how successful the company is at preserving heritage is that their Vitus sourdough has been chosen as the signature starter for La Boulangerie du Louvre, the world’s first fully operational artisan bakery located inside a major art museum. While Vitus is not part of Puratos’ commercial sourdough portfolio, it holds a prominent place within the company’s Sourdough Library.
Puratos recently expanded its research capabilities by joining forces with the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. Their breakthrough finding is a study on pulse-based sourdough. The study shows that breads deliver 45% more protein, an improved amino acid profile, and potentially enhanced gut health benefits compared to traditional wholewheat bread made with baker’s yeast.
The study also found that fermentation in pulse-based sourdoughs reduces antinutritional factors, supporting digestive comfort, while boosting polyphenols that enhance antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. From a sensory perspective, the findings showed pulse-based sourdoughs produced enhanced flavor and aroma. These results underscore the potential of fermenting plant-based ingredients like pulses to redefine functional bakery innovation.
Research was carried out by the HealthFerm Consortium, of which both Puratos and the university are members. HealthFerm is a joint European / Swiss research project investigating innovative pulse-based food fermentations. This project focused on pulse-based flours, including faba (or broad) bean flour, faba bean protein concentrate, and yellow pea flour, together with several lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast pairings, with the aim of uncovering new, optimized bread formulations. Of 288 starter-initiated sourdoughs, 17 were shortlisted for transition to fully stable sourdoughs, which have markedly better microbiological maturity and functionality. Six of these emerged as the most promising, showing not only higher protein content but also improved amino acid balance and elevated levels of bioactive compounds such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and lysine, both linked to metabolic and cognitive health.
“Fermentation plays an essential role in improving the nutritional quality, functionality, and sensory appeal of sourdough, but we wanted to see how we could push the boundaries further still by using wheat flour alternatives,” comments Prof. Marco Gobbetti, co-author of the study and Professor of Food Microbiology at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. “What is interesting is that sourdough is not typically considered a high protein source, so our findings represent a real breakthrough for the bakery sector. This new discovery could usher in a new age of sourdough by inspiring bakers to adopt different fermentation and plant-based strategies.”
In addition, the study found that fermentation produced a diverse range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), giving the breads enhanced aroma profiles and strong sensory appeal. Specific LAB-yeast consortia drove the fermentation, enhancing not only the protein quality but also the bioactive compound release, highlighting the potential of microbial innovation in creating appealing, functional leavened bakery products. These findings align with growing consumer interest in health, taste, plant-based options, and sustainability, signaling an opportunity to tap into this rapidly-developing market.
“Gut health has always been a cornerstone of our product development, especially as more consumers recognize its benefits within a holistic approach to well-being,” comments Dr. Vimac Nolla Ardèvol, co-author of the study and Research Manager Metabolomics at Puratos. “That’s why we continue to invest in science-backed open innovation to uncover and create new food solutions that ‘do more’. Consumers increasingly want to eat naturally, healthily, and sustainably, and at both the HealthFerm Consortium and Puratos, we believe there’s a bright future in fermented bakery products with gut health benefits.”