What is yeast, and is it any good for you?!
What is yeast, and is it any good for you?
Answers:
Yeast is a plant. It is used for brewing, as some strains make alcohol, and it is used for baking, as the CO2 it gives off makes dough rise. It is a good source of iron.
Yeast is used in bread to make it rise. Yeast is not something you should eat straight, but do put it in your bread. Very high in vitamins.
Yeasts are a growth form of eukaryotic microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi. Approximately 1,500 species of yeasts have been described,[1] most of which reproduce asexually by budding, although in a few cases by binary fission. Yeasts are unicellular, although some species with yeast forms may become multicellular through the formation of a string of connected budding cells known as pseudohyphae, or true hyphae as seen in most molds.[2] Yeasts size can vary greatly depending on the species, typically measuring 3 to 7 micrometres in diameter, although some yeasts can reach over 40 μm.[3]
The yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used in baking and fermenting alcoholic beverages for thousands of years. It is also extremely important as a model organism in modern cell biology research, and is the most thoroughly researched eukaryotic microorganism. Researchers can use it to gather information into the biology of the eukaryotic cell and ultimately human biology.[4] Other species of yeast, such as Candida albicans, are opportunistic pathogens and can cause infection in humans. Yeasts have recently been used to generate electricity in microbial fuel cells,[5] and produce ethanol for the biofuel industry.
Yeasts do not form a specific taxonomic or phylogenetic grouping. At present it is estimated that only 1% of all yeast species have been described.[6] The term "yeast" is often taken as a synonym for S. cerevisiae,[7] however the phylogenetic diversity of yeasts is shown by their placement in both divisions Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. The budding yeasts ("true yeasts") are classified in the order Saccharomycetales.[8]
Nutritional supplements
Yeast is used in nutritional supplements popular with vegans and the health conscious, where it is often referred to as "nutritional yeast". It is a deactivated yeast, usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It is an excellent source of protein and vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins, whose functions are related to metabolism as well as other minerals and cofactors required for growth. It is also naturally low in fat and sodium. Some brands of nutritional yeast, though not all, are fortified with vitamin B12, which is produced separately from bacteria. Nutritional yeast, though it has a similar appearance to brewer's yeast, is very different and has a very different taste.
Nutritional yeast has a nutty, cheesy, creamy flavor which makes it popular as an ingredient in cheese substitutes. It is often used by vegans in place of parmesan cheese. Another popular use is as a topping for popcorn. Some movie theaters are beginning to offer it along with salt or cayenne pepper as a popcorn condiment. It comes in the form of flakes, or as a yellow powder similar in texture to cornmeal, and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores. In Australia it is sometimes sold as "savory yeast flakes". Though "nutritional yeast" usually refers to commercial products, inadequately fed prisoners have used "home-grown" yeast to prevent vitamin deficiency.[35]
And there is much more information at the link below.
Yeast is a microbial organism that causes bread dough to rise when activated with warm water before adding it to the recipe. It More often comes as dry yeast in little packets, but sometimes you can get a yeast cake and just add a slice of that directly to the recipe without activating with warm water. It is a benign organism that actually will do you more good than harm.
What is Yeast?
The bread, which we consume today, is the result of an age-old process dating back at least four thousand years. This ancestral heritage is the fruit of the discovery of a process, unexplained back then, which makes dough rise.
Several civilizations, including Egyptians, Hebrews, Greeks, and later Gauls and Iberians, produced fermentation food products. Bread, wine, and beer were all obtained by empirical processes not fully understood in their day, but all used yeast.
Yeast is responsible for leavening the dough, maturing the gluten from the flour and providing the characteristic yeast leavened flavor and aroma. In order to function properly it needs food, moisture and a suitable environment.
It was only in the 19th century that scientific progress revealed the secrets behind the power of yeast. It was the French chemist Louis Pasteur who, in the mid-1800's, developed a scientific understanding of the relationship between yeast and fermentation. This led to the foundation for the industrial production of yeast products. These natural contaminants of grain and fruit were identified as being microscopic fungi called Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Yeast is a naturally living, beneficial micro-organism. Baker's yeast is a specific type selected for its ability to produce desirable flavors, aromas and activity needed to make yeast raised products. In the 1950's, active dry yeast was developed by drying compressed yeast. While this method added to the convenience of bread baking, the drying process actually destroyed many of the yeast cells. SAF has perfected the method of drying to protect all of the yeast cells. The result is a sponge-like particle which absorbs liquids quicker and produces more consistent breads and other yeast baked goods
Today, baker's yeast is produced in millions of tons worldwide. This is the largest production volume of any micro-organism, and is made possible by the enormous technical and scientific progress, which this industry has managed to develop and operate.
Yeast is in your bread and it is good for you as long as you don't eat it like 24-7. But you can get Yeast infection if you eat it a lot though.
well......Marmite is just yeast extract and is PACKED full of vitamin D,Marmite helps the body recover from hangovers because vitamin D cures haedaches.Some people love marmite,some people equally hate it.Depends on what you we're brought up on really! :)
Yeast is used in breading making and also in beer, if my memory serves me right.