Sourdoughs and levains contribute tremendous flavour improvement and extended shelf-life to a wide ranged of baked goods and are expecially suitable for use in part and fully baked French breads, ciabatta, sourdough breads, croissant, brioche, pizza crusts and crackers. Femex supplies Lesaffre sourdough and levain products in 2 basic formats: live, active, sourdoughs and inactive pre-fermented products.

The choice depends on the type of flavour required, the process, temperature control systems, and time and space availability. For more information on creating flavour please go to info and advice.

Live and sourdough cultures can be used to create flavours and improve dough rheology as the organisms grown and multiply, and are available in 2 forms:

The Saf Levain range of starter levains are supplied as sachets containing live, dried sourdough bacteria and aromatic yeasts. They are designed as a one-use inoculum to either liquid or solid sponges which then develop characteristic flavours as the sourdough bacteria and aromatic yeasts grow. Each sachet can be used to produce approximately 32 Kg of sourdough sponge. Use of these one-use sachets prevents the risk of contamination through re-seeding and enables production of sourdough in one step and in less than 24 hours.

Crème de Levain is a live, liquid sourdough with a standardised level of sourdough bacteria and aromatic yeasts. It can be used either directly in a straight process dough or in sponges. The advantage of the liquid form is that growth of the organisms and flavour development is relatively fast. Because the level of organisms is standardised, flavours can be reproduced by using the same fermentation parameters.

Inactive pre-fermented sourdoughs are available in 2 forms, liquid and dried, and are used directly in the dough to impart flavour without the requirement for sponges or long fermentation.

Arome Levain Liquide is a stabilised, pre-fermented liquid sourdough produced from the controlled fermentation of rye with lactobacillus and aromatic yeasts.

Arôme Levain F100 and F200 and Arôme Levain S400 are dried sourdoughs: F100 and F200 are based on wheat flour, and S400 is based on rye flour.

Saf Levain® LV1 Supplied in sachets of 100g, LV1 produces mild acidity through Lactobacillus casei and brevis and levain yeasts. Ideal for use in French-style breads, croissant and brioche and organic products.
Saf Levain® LV2 Supplied in sachets of 100g, LV2 gives typical levain acidity, derived from Lactobacillus brevis and levain yeast. The product is ECOCERT approved and is suitable for use in organic products. This product produces a higher acetic to lactic acid ratio than LV1. Recommended for ciabatta and French style country breads.
Crème de Levain® A stabilised, live liquid levain bringing all the advantages of a traditional levain in ready to use form, with the added advantage of ECOCERT organic certification. It has a rich, slightly acidic flavour, typical of long fermentation, high quality products. It may be used directly in straight process, but its real advantage is in creating flavour in sponge or bulk fermentation.
Changes to time and temperature of fermentation will result in different flavours, which, due to the standardised levels of live aromatic yeasts and bacteria, can be reproduced each time. Crème de Levain may be stored for up to 10 weeks under refrigeration. For more information on creating your signature flavour, please go to info and advice. Packaging: 1000 litre returnable tanks, 5 litre polyethylene bottles. Use rate: 10-30% of flour weight for straight doughs. 5-15% for sponges and long fermentation. Applications:  Baguettes, “Pain au Levain”, croissant, brioche, organic products
Arome Levain® Liquide A long shelf life, inactive pre-fermented liquid levain produced from dual fermentation of rye by aromatic yeast and lactobacillus cultures, with organic acids. Arome Levain® Liquid delivers all the benefits associated with a freshly fermented levain. Packed in 5Kg, 25Kg plastic containers.  The product is used by adding directly to the flour at the mixing stage.
Use rate: 1-4% of flour weight. Applications: All baked goods, including pizza, tortilla and other flatbreads where additional flavour, acidity and increased shelf-life are required.
Arome Levain® Dried sourdoughs produced from wheat (F100 & F200) and Rye (S400) flour, pre-fermented with sourdough bacteria. These products provide high flavour levels with relatively low acidity and should be added direct to the flour at the mixing stage. The S400 rye based product produces a stronger acidic flavour and is particularly useful in ciabatta style products.
Use Rate: 1-3% of flour weight Applications: Bread, rolls, flatbreads, ciabatta style breads and pizzas
Saf Levain LV4 Saf Levain LV4 develops sourdough notes that are reminiscent of the intense flavour associated with San Francisco sourdough bread. As with all Saf Levain cultures, the final flavour of the bread can be adapted to suit tastes according to the flour and fermentation regime used in the levain production. It is recommended for long fermentation processes where it gives robust flavour and exceptional crust characteristics to the finished bread.

Product Ranges:
| Solutions Improver Range | Safpro Improver Range | Ibis Improver Range |
| Technical Products | Speciality Yeasts | Flavour Products |
| Malted Ingredients | Seeds |

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