## 3 Results and Discussion  
### _Acidity, Chromaticity, and Microbiological Characteristics of the Wheat Wholemal Samples_  
The acidity, chromaticity, and microbiological characteristics of the WW samples are shown in Table 1. When comparing the acidity parameters (pH and TTA) of the fermented samples, it was established that the type of LAB used for fermentation was a significant factor in sample pH and TTA (\(p=0.0001\) and \(p=0.011\), respectively) (Supplementary File S2 Table S3). However, the wheat variety and the wheat variety * LAB type interaction was not a significant factor in the acidity parameters of the samples. Between the pH and TTA, a negative moderate correlation was found (r = \(-0.422\), \(p=0.003\)) (Supplementary File S2 Table S4). When comparing the pH of the fermented samples in different wheat variety groups, in 'Ada' and DS8472-5 blue WW, the lowest pH was found after fermentation with the LUHS122 strain (on average, pH 3.97). Also, in the 'Sarta' WW group, the lowest pH was found in the samples fermented with LUHS245 and LUHS122 strains (on average, pH 3.83). Opposite tendencies of the DS8526-2 purple WW were established, and the lowest pH of the DS8526-2 fermented with LUHS29 was obtained (pH 4.24). When comparing the chromaticity characteristics of the samples, the wheat variety * LAB type interaction was a significant factor in the sample redness (a*) (\(p=0.004\)) (Supplementary File S2 Table S3); however, significant correlations between the a* and acidity parameters were not found (Supplementary File S2 Table S4). WW lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) showed moderate positive correlations with sample TTA (r = 0.578, \(p=0.0001\) and r = 0.341, \(p=0.018\), respectively) (Supplementary File S2 Table S4), and when comparing the sample L* in non-treated and fermented different variety WW groups, different tendencies were established. In the 'Ada' and DS8526-2 purple WW group, fermented samples showed a decrease in the L* coordinates (in comparison with the nonfermented ones, on average, by 8.7% and 14.1%, respectively). Opposite tendencies in the 'Sarta' sample group were found, in which L* coordinates increased after fermentation (in comparison with the nonfermented ones, on average, by 12.6%). The L* of the DS8472-5 blue WW samples was dependent on the LAB strain used for fermentation: the LUHS29 strain decreased the L* (on average, by 14.1%), and fermentation with LUHS245 and LUHS122 increased the L* (on average, by 5.6%). When comparing the a* and b* coordinates of the nontreated and fermented samples, fermentation with all three tested LAB strains reduced the a* and b* parameters of the DS8526-2 purple WW, and the same tendencies were found for the a* coordinates of the fermented 'Sarta' samples. However, fermentation increased the a* coordinates of the DS8472-5 blue WW and b* coordinates of the 'Sarta' samples. The chromaticity parameters of the other fermented samples were varied and depended on the LAB strain used for fermentation and the wheat variety. through a decrease in the oxidation-reduction potential of sourdough [43], and, conversely, to reduce oxidation of the color compounds. It was reported that all of the LAB strains belonging to the genera Lactobacillus as well as P. pentosaceous acidified the medium at around pH 3.5 [44]. When comparing the LAB count in the fermented samples, all the fermented WW showed higher than 8.0 log\({}_{10}\) CFU/g of the LAB number, and a moderate negative correlation between the LAB count and sample pH was established (r = -0.406, \(p\) = 0.004) (Supplementary File S2 Table S4). The main factors that lead to the competitiveness of technological LABs in fermented cereal are fast LAB multiplication in a substrate as well as increases in TTA and decreases in pH [45]. According to other studies, a lower LAB number and acidification rate are obtained in homofermentative LAB fermented cereal in comparison with heterofermentative ones [46].