###### Abstract  
Traditional sourdough is obtained using a mixture of flour and water stored at room temperature until acidification. Therefore, adding lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can improve the quality and safety of sourdough bread. Faced with this problem, four drying techniques--freeze-drying, spray-drying, low-temperature drying, and drying at low humidity--have been applied. Our goals were to isolate LAB strains with antifungal potential against _Aspergillus_ and _Penicillium_ fungi. The antifungal capacity was evaluated with agar diffusion, co-culture in overlay agar, and a microdilution susceptibility assay. In addition, the antifungal compounds generated in sourdough were analyzed. As a result, dried sourdoughs were prepared with _Lactiplantihacillus plantarum_ TN10, _Lactiplantihacillus plantarum_ TF2, _Pediococcus petrosaccus_ FT8, _Pediococcus acidilactic_ TE4, and _Pediococcus pentrosaccus_ T16. The minimum fungicidal concentrations ranged from 25 g/L versus _P. verrucosum_ and 100 g/L against _A. flavus_. A total of 27 volatile organic compounds were produced. Moreover, the lactic acid content reached 26 g/kg of dry product, and the phenyllactic concentration was significantly higher than the control. The _P. pentrosaccus_ T16 exhibited a higher antifungal capacity in vitro and demonstrated a higher production of antifungal compounds compared to the other strains; therefore, further studies will evaluate the impact of this sourdough in bread manufacture. Lactiplantihacillus plantarum; biocontrol; volatile organic compounds; _Paliococcus pentrosaccus_; antifungal activity +
Footnote †: journal: _foods_  
to the metabolites they produce, these organisms can inhibit the growth of pathogens [7]. Thanks to LAB, many safe foods have been produced, and they can currently be used as starter cultures to produce fermented products that have microbiological safety [8]. Many kinds of cereal, such as wheat, can be fermented using the LAB of the original dough, giving rise to the product known as sourdough [1]. These bacteria, primarily found in cereal fermentations, belong to the genera _Lactiplantibacillus_, _Enterococcus_, _Oenococcus_, _Bibliobacterium_, _Aerococcus_, _Carnobacterium_, _Lactococcus_, _Leuconstoc_, _Pediococcus_, _Streptococcus_, and _Weissella_[9; 10; 11; 12; 13]. One of the functions of using LAB as a sourdough ferment is as a bioconseurant, since it helps prevent the growth of fungi [14]. The fermentation of the dough with LAB produces mainly lactic acid, which decreases the pH of the medium, inhibiting the growth of undesirable microorganisms [15]. Other active compounds of low molecular weight could be generated and act synergistically and, consequently, extend the product's shelf life [4]. These fermentation products such as organic acids, aromatic compounds, and other metabolites, in addition to acidifying the environment and prolonging its conservation, provide better organoleptic, technological, and nutritional benefits to the final product [16; 17]. Based on how sourdough is made, it is classified into three types. Type I sourdough is a fresh sourdough that is reactivated by adding a part of the previous dough. This type of dough requires care for the microorganisms to be active. Type II sourdough uses selected strains of microorganisms for the fermentation of the dough; it is a type of sourdough for industry use. Type III sourdough consists of elaborating a sourdough that is subsequently dried [18]. Due to the expensive and unstable preparation and maintenance of type I sourdough, drying is a solution for its stabilization since drying can extend the product's shelf life until use. In addition, the cost of time and production of sourdough may be reduced [19]. In addition to the cost, there are other challenges in drying sourdoughs that concern the food industry. One of the challenges is the microbiological composition; according to [PERSON] et al.