Innovation, Spain (MICINN). The scholarship of J.M. Sanz Penella and the contract of 24 J.A. Tamayo Ramos from MICINN are greatly acknowledged. 25 2 ABSTRACT 26This investigation is aimed at developing a new cereal-based product, with increased 27 nutritional quality, by using Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum ATCC 27919 as starter 28 in whole wheat sourdough fermentation, and evaluating its performance. Four different 29 sourdough levels (5, 10, 15 and 20% on flour basis) in bread dough formulation were 30 analysed. The effects of the use of bifidobacteria in sourdough bread were comparatively 31 evaluated with controls (yeast and/or chemically acidified sourdough with antibiotics). 32The sourdough and dough fermentative parameters analysed were pH, total titratable 33 acidity, D/L-lactic and acetic acids. Bread performance was evaluated by specific 34 volume, slice shape, crumb structure and firmness, crust and crumb colour, pH, total 35 titratable acidity, and D/L-lactic and acetic acids, phytate and lower myo-inositol 36 phosphate contents. The sourdough breads showed similar technological quality to the 37 control sample, with the exception of specific bread volume (decreased from 2.46 to 2.22 38 mL/g) and crumb firmness (increased from 2.61 to 3.18 N). Sourdough inoculated with 39 bifidobacteria significantly increased the levels of organic acids in fermented dough and 40 bread. The Bifidobacterium strain contributed to the fermentation process, increasing 41 phytate hydrolysis during fermentation owing to the activation of endogenous cereal 42 phytase and its own phytase, resulting in bread with significantly lower phytate levels 43 (from 7.62 to 1.45 µmol/g of bread in dry matter). The inclusion of sourdough inoculated 44 with bifidobacteria made possible the formulation of whole wheat bread with positive 45 changes in starch thermal properties and a delay and decrease in amylopectin 46 retrogradation. 47 48 KEY WORDS: sourdough; Bifidobacterium; phytate-degrading enzyme; phytate; whole 49 wheat bread 50