Savoury Systems - June 2017 - 3

Why Yeast Extract Makes
Food Taste Better
Yeast is a tiny, single-celled organism
found everywhere in nature. Yeast
is also a critical ingredient in many
foods and beverages, with different
yeast used in varied applications.
This includes familiar products such
as bread, beer and wine. Yeast also
functions as Mother Nature's flavor
enhancer.

Yeast gets its energy from sugar,
allowing it to multiply. Through
a controlled process known as
autolysis, inactivated yeast is
placed in a temperature-controlled
environment. Here the enzymes
in yeast break down proteins into
smaller components-the yeast
extract-which are then separated
from the surrounding wall and dried
into the flavor-enhancing ingredient
of the same name.  

The misconception has been in relating the two,
and believing that yeast extract imparts similar
concentrated levels of glutamic acid.
The two are different. In fact, MSG is an
unacceptable ingredient at Whole Foods Market;
yeast extract is not on that list. The natural foods
chain clarifies on its website that yeast extract,
among other ingredients, are completely natural
ingredients that happen to have effective amounts
of glutamates, but nowhere near the concentration
found in MSG. That's because yeast extract is a full
protein, made up of many organic compounds and
has a full amino acid profile.
FBN: How is yeast extract identified as an
ingredient on product labels?

"Yeast extract has the delicious
taste of umami and kokumi, so our
taste buds are really big fans of any
food that's made with it," says Kevin
McDermott, Chief Operating Officer,
Savoury Systems International.
"It's also an all-natural ingredient
that we use as a key ingredient in
a wide variety of flavor-enhancing
ingredients."
Watch this video to learn how
bakers' yeast helps make food
taste better.

KM: We recommend using the FDA's and USDA's
guidance for labeling the products, in which this
ingredient is commonly labeled as "yeast extract,"
or as listed with the FDA GRAS approval "baker's
yeast extract."
FBN: What type of yeast does Savoury Systems
use to produce its yeast extract?
KM: We primarily use Saccharomyces cerevisiae,
also known as bakers' yeast. We have the ability
to develop yeast extract ingredients designed for
specific applications, including foods seeking nongenetically modified labeling. That's because the
active yeast, as well as the cane sugar the yeast
ferments during reproduction, is non-GMO.



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Savoury Systems - June 2017

Savoury Systems - June 2017 - 1
Savoury Systems - June 2017 - 2
Savoury Systems - June 2017 - 3
Savoury Systems - June 2017 - 4
https://www.nxtbook.com/sosland/ss/2017_06_01
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com