## 1 Introduction  
**What is the most important food and feed crop in the world** **[**1**]****. It provides many beneficial nutrients (vitamins B and E; minerals iron and zinc; various phytochemicals, etc. )** **[**2**]****. The grains of traditional wheat (**_T. aestivum_**) varieties are amber in color; however, nowadays, colored wheat grain has become a very attractive option because of the higher content of anthocyanins and other phytochemicals** **[**3; 4**]****, which provide numerous health benefits** **[**3; 5; 6**]****. Also, the antimicrobial activity of these valuable compounds against different Gram-positive and Gram-negative human pathogens could be very promising** **[**7; 8**]****. However, on the other hand, antimicrobial compounds could influence the fermentation process, which is the main technological step in sourdough bread preparation. For this reason, in this study, in addition to the traditional wheat variety ('Ada'), the waxy wheat variety ('Sarta'), and new breed lines of the colored wheat (blue wheat DS8472-5 and purple wheat DS8526-2) for wheat wholemeal (WW) sourdough preparation were tested. **  
**Despite the fact that larger amounts of whole grain products are recommended in the human diet** **[**9; 10; 11; 12**]****, there are many challenges associated with the technological and safety characteristics of such types of products. To improve the technological and safety characteristics of WW, fermentation with selected lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains could be suggested. Also, our previous studies showed that a combination of extrusion and fermentation technologies for wheat bran pre-treatment could be a very attractive solution for the reduction of biogenic amines (BAs) and mycotoxins** **[**13; 14**]****. **  
**Overall, sourdough is a mixture consisting mainly of cereal grain flour and water fermented by a heterogeneous microbiota, with predominantly LAB and yeast strains** **[**15; 16**]****. However, characteristics of spontaneous sourdough are dependent on many factors (contamination of flour, environment, etc.). In addition, when WW is used, higher contamination of the outer layer should be taken into consideration. For this reason, the use of selected LAB starter cultures, which possess antifungal and antimicrobial properties and/or are capable of degrading mycotoxins, could be very promising. Also, during the sourdough fermentation process, enzymatic and microbial changes lead to the formation of various volatile compounds (VCs) that improve the overall acceptability of the cereal products** **[**17; 18**]****. However, studies regarding the sourdough VCs are scarce** **[**19**]****. The acidification properties, microbiological characteristics, and VC production are interesting properties of the sourdough, and the selection of LAB starters has become important to improve the technological properties of cereal products. **  
**Factors affecting sourdough fermentation include microbial diversity, fermentation conditions, and flour composition** **[**20**]****. In this study, four wheat varieties ('Ada', 'Sarta', new breed lines of the colored wheat known as blue wheat DS8472-5 and purple wheat DS8526-2), and three LAB strains (_Pediococcus acidilactici, Liquilactobacillus uwarum, Latciplinthacillus plantarum)_ **possessing antimicrobial properties were tested for WW sourdough preparation. The antimicrobial and antifungal properties as well as the metabolic capacity to ferment a large number of carbohydrate sources were taken into consideration in the selection of LAB strains for sourdough preparation** **[**21**]****. **  
**Despite the fact that fermented wheat products are associated with many health benefits** **[**22; 23; 24; 25; 26**]****, it should be pointed out that lactofermentation is also associated with the formation of biogenic amines (BAs), which are toxic nitrogenous bases formed by the decarboxylation of amino acids.