Breaking Barriers with Bread: Using the Sourdough Starter Microbiome to Teach High-Throughput Sequencing Techniques

Area of Science:

• Life Sciences Education
• Microbiology
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• High-throughput sequencing (HTS) is increasingly used in life sciences, creating a need for practical student training.
• Existing courses face challenges in covering the full HTS workflow, from sample acquisition to data analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate the sourdough starter microbiome as a model system for teaching meta-amplicon sequencing.
• To demonstrate an accessible and effective HTS educational module for undergraduate and graduate students.

Main Methods:

• Utilized sourdough starter microbiome for meta-amplicon sequencing due to its simple community structure.
• Implemented bioinformatic pipelines and statistical analyses executable on standard student laptops.
• Compared student-generated data against an instructor-provided reference sample.

Main Results:

• The sourdough microbiome model facilitated identification of contaminants and rapid statistical assessment of differences.
• 12 out of 14 students successfully captured and analyzed the sourdough starter microbiome in two semesters.
• The system proved effective for teaching HTS, bioinformatics, and statistical analysis.

Conclusions:

• The sourdough starter microbiome offers a practical, cost-effective, and scalable model for HTS education.
• This approach addresses challenges in teaching comprehensive HTS workflows.
• Student success rates indicate the model's efficacy in developing essential scientific skills.