Yeast is the basic ingredient of yeast extract. Only three simple steps and the help of two natural ingredients are needed to obtain yeast extract from yeast. These natural ingredients are sugar - or any other carbohydrate-rich ingredient such as malt or molasses – to help the yeast grow, and some natural enzymes to help break it down into smaller, savoury taste-delivering compounds.
It just takes three simple steps to produce yeast extract from the same yeast that is used in beer and bread.
Yeast is a living organism which - like a mushroom – is of the funghi family. As a large amount of it is needed to produce yeast extract, it receives an energy-rich diet, high in sugar or other carbohydrates, to help it multiply.
When the yeast has reached optimal development, it undergoes a heat treatment to halt its growth. The enzymes already present in yeast and any added natural enzymes then begin the process of breaking it down into smaller particles. To be more specific, the enzymes help to transform – or digest – the yeast’s proteins into a mix of smaller, savoury taste-delivering protein compounds. This mix is what we refer to as yeast extract.
If you were to analyse the protein compounds of yeast extract, you would see that they are very similar to those found in a meat bouillon. It’s no wonder then that yeast extract adds a nice bouillon-taste to foods.
In the final step, the insoluble, tasty protein parts are separated from the rest of the compounds using a large centrifuge. The taste-delivering mixture is then dried into a powder or paste that can easily be transported to food producers, and used to enrich the flavour of your favourite savoury products.
