Yeast extract is made from yeast, a prevalent food ingredient, but what do you know about it?
Yeast is a unicellular organism belonging to the fungus family and has been used for centuries to make bread, beer, and wine since the 1950s.

What is Yeast Extract?

Yeast extract is similar to vanilla extract or almond extract. It provides concentrated flavor, and it has been used as a food ingredient. Indeed, it magnifies the flavor of recipes by revealing tastes providing a unique signature, being a key ingredient in flavor development, bringing richness and Umami, and more!

Composition of Yeast Extract

Yeast extract is rich in various proteins, free amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. It has a protein content of about 50%, of which about 20% is glutathione, 6% is a nucleic acid.

What does yeast extract taste like?

Think about tomatoes with Parmesan cheese; they have that Umami sensation just like yeast extract. It’s not sweet, and it’s not sour. It’s that savory sensation that makes foods taste more delicious. Yeast is used in the food we’re familiar with, like bread, beer, and wine. And yeast extract is used in foods to make them taste more flavorful. Baker’s Brewer’s chefs have been using these for as far back as 4000 years ago. We have evidence of the Egyptians using it.

What are the main uses of yeast extract?

Like herbs and spices, yeast extract is a natural flavoring ingredient with many benefits in taste improvement. It intensifies the taste.

It has several functionalities:

• Improve and build taste
• Bring a signature flavor
• Make healthy formulations
• Bring richness
• Or as an ingredient in flavor manufacturing

How is yeast extract produced?

Yeast extract is made by breaking down the cell walls in yeast. To help you visualize, here is the production process in three steps.

Step 1 Fermentation

To fit with the customer’s final expectation and depending on the uses, a specific yeast strain is selected. Once this selection is made, yeast fermentation starts. It is conducted in tanks under regular growing conditions. The yeast grows to reach a sufficient amount to undergo.

Step 2 Breakage

The yeast is heated, and the enzymes of the yeast break down the cell walls into smaller components. Yeast content is solvable by thermal heat treatment and selection of tasty components.

Step 3 Separation

The cell walls are separated from the extract sea yeast extracts results of the simple action of enzymes and heat on yeast extract and natural origin an animal-free ingredient.

Different forms of yeast extract

The result of this process is a yeast extract powder, liquid, or paste:
• Paste and liquid forms are obtained after the standard production that ends after evaporation and
concentration.
• Powder form needs an additional step which consists of spray drying. The liquid is fed into a
so-called spray tower and dried using hot air. Then water evaporates, yeast extract falls, and is collected at the base of the tower; it confers its final texture.

Depending on intended usage, a form is preferred due to its technological properties and capacity of incorporation into a formula and industrial production lines.

What are the characteristics of yeast extract?

Yeast extract comes from fresh yeast and is, therefore, a natural origin ingredient.

No synthetic or chemical ingredients are added during its production. It has the following characteristics:

• Process resistant ingredients (acid, heat, and freeze), from oven, cooking to the canning process.
• Animal-free ingredients, suitable for vegan and vegetarian products
• Non-GMO ingredients as the selected strains are non-genetically modified organisms
• Halal and Kosher certified ingredients
• Gluten-free for several Baker’s yeast extracts, as no gluten derivative is used during the process.

Hiyeast is an expert of yeast extract manufacturer

Hiyeast is a producer and supplier of natural ingredients. Having a strong R&D team and a deep knowledge of fermentation technology, we design and produce goods that bring unique solutions for our customers in the food industry, health care, and animal feed.
Our expertise in yeast extracts applications and experience in sensory product evaluation will support you in creative recipe design and formulation challenges.