On one hand yeast is a well-known food ingredient and essential for the production of bread and beer. On the other hand, yeast extract - a natural food ingredient derived from yeast - isn’t all that well known despite it often being used by food producers. They use it to bring a savoury taste to your favourite bouillons, sauces and snacks, so it’s very likely that you’ve actually tasted it numerous times.
“Yeast extract is a popular ingredient, so it’s more than likely that you’ve tasted it on many occasions.”
Yeast extract is a 100% natural ingredient used in a vast array of everyday products. Yeast extract’s rich mix of protein compounds offers multiple taste-giving and balancing properties, making it a versatile ingredient. It cannot be compared with so-called flavour enhancers that food producers occasionally use, as these are isolated substances that rely on a single property to strengthen the existing taste of other ingredients. Flavour enhancers are considered to be additives and are therefore labelled with an E-number. The many taste-providing components of yeast extract serve to set it apart from single-property additives.
Yeast extract is made from the same yeast that is needed during the production of beer, bread and wine. Not surprisingly, yeast extract has a very similar composition to yeast, but with a different purpose. To produce yeast extract, yeast proteins are broken down into a mix of smaller protein parts. This special mix of proteins provide yeast extract with its unique taste-delivering qualities.
Many people believe that yeast extract contains a high level of glutamate. As with any naturally occurring protein, it does contain glutamate, but in very small amounts – which represent approximately 5% of the total extract. In addition, because of its strong taste, yeast extract usually makes up less than 1% of a dish. In comparison with foods such as tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese, its level of glutamate is quite low. For instance, one tomato has approximately twice the amount of glutamate found in 200 ml of yeast extract flavoured bouillon.
On a product’s ingredients label, yeast extract is referred to either directly as yeast extract, or as “natural flavour”. As with most herbs and spices, yeast extract has an intense taste and is used only in small amounts. As quantity is what determines the order of a product’s ingredients on the label – from largest to smallest – yeast extract will therefore almost always appear near to, or at the end of the list.
